I* 


ADVENTURES 


OF 


Famous  Travellers 

IN  MANY  LANDS. 

WITH    DESCIMPTIONS   OF 

MANNERS,   CUSTOMS,  AND   PLACES. 


THRILLING  ADVENTURES  ON  LAND  AND  SEA. 


WM   L   ALLISON   COMPANY 


-  1 


CRAMPTON  ACCESSIOlfc 


CONTENTS. 


Spain  i.^^  the  Bull-fiorts, 11 

Wild  Bull  Hunting  in  Spain, 23 

Incidents  of  an  Overland  Journey  roond  the  World,  29 

The  Rocky  Mountains, 86 

Anecdotes  of  the  Indians, 38 

Thic  Excitements  of  Buffalo  Huntino,        .        .  53 
Mr.  Lewis  in  Jamaica,          .        .        •        •        •        •        .62 

Incidents  on  a  Voyage  of  Captaiic  Haxx,        •        •        •  85 

Mr.  Rogers  and  the  Harper,        •                          .         »  113 

Seal  Hunting  among  the  Greenlamoem,         •        •  116 

The  Bag  of  Gold, 133 

The  Traveller  in  Damascus,           .        •        •        •        •  145 

Spectral  Illusions,      ...•••••  179 

Travellers  and  Italian  BANDiTTit           •        •        •        •  204 

polinario, .  228 

The  Emigrant  Gold-digger, 233 

BoRROw's  Adventures  in  SpAiif»            •        •        •        .        .  243 

ScoRESBY,  the  Whaler,  .••••.«  264 

Thebes 289 


PREFACE, 

The  adventures  of  travellers  and  descriptions  of  foreign 
countries  and  people,  afford  us  the  same  kind  of  pleasure 
which  we  derive  from  the  perusal  of  the  most  high  wrought 
romance.  But  true  narrations  must  always  possess  one 
great  advantage  over  fiction,  in  the  simple  circumstance 
of  their  truth.  It  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  the  reader  to 
know  that  the  perils  and  labors  which  excite  his  kindly 
sympathy  are  real  and  not  the  mere  coinage  of  the 
romancer's  brain. 

Without  attempting  to  detract  in  the  least  from  the 
merits  of  well-written  romances,  we  have  ventured  on  the 
present  occasion  to  substitute  for  them  a  series  of  true 
narratives  under  the  designation  of  the  '^  Romance  of 
Travel  ;'*  and  we  trust  that  the  general  utility  of  the 
work  will  be  lecognized  as  not  the  least  among  its  recom- 
mendations. 


M.GUAZIL  AND  PICADORBS. 


THB  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL 


E  commence  our  series  of 
sketches  of  travel  with  an  ac- 
count by  a  recent  traveller 
in  Spain  of  the  bull  fights, 
the  most  curious  and  uni(jue 
amusement  of  modei-ii  times, 
which  has  not  uiuiptly  beer. 
compavcd  with  the  gladiuto- 
rial  combats  of  the  ancient 
Romans.  The  practice  is 
common  in  the  Spanish  colo- 
nies as  well  as  in  the  mother 
country.  Our  traveller  says, 
During  my  residence  in 
Spain,  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore I  discovered  in  the 
whole  nation  a  string  predilection  for  a  kind  of  spectacle 
peculiar  to  that  ->intrv,  I  mean  bull  fights.     Though  not 

(11) 


12  TJIE  llOMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

{.uirtial  to  them  myself,  I  luivc,  however,  been  present  at 
these  exhibitions,  and  shall  give  you  an  accurate  account 
of  every  thing  rehitive  to  them. 

You  must  know,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  Spanish 
breed  of  bulls  is  very  strong  and  vigorous.  The  Spaniards 
are  reported  in  all  ages  to  have  attached  great  importance 
to  the  taming  of  these  fierce  animals,  and  to  have  honored 
with  their  particular  i-egard  those  men  who,  by  their  cou- 
rage and  address,  successfully  accomplished  so  periloua 
an  undertaking.  This  it  doubtless  was  that  gave  rise  to 
the  sports  known  by  the  appellation  of  the  bull  fights, 
established  in  the  principal  towns  of  Spain.  For  this  pur- 
pose the  Spaniards  have  built  vast  amphitheatres,  whose 
arena  is  the  stage  on  which  those  who  make  a  profession 
of  fighting  with  bulls  display  tbeir  prowess.  All 
round  the  circumference  are  ranged  seats  for  the  spec- 
tators, who  sometimes  assemble  to  the  number  of  many 
thousands.  If  I  recollect  rightly,  the  amphitheatre  of 
Madrid  is  capable  of  containing  about  twelve  thousand 
persons.  The  price  of  places  varies  considerably,  accord- 
ing as  they  are  sheltered  or  exposed,  in  the  shade,  or  in 
the  sun  ;  for  these  amphitheatres  have  no  roofs.  The 
spectacle  takes  place  in  the  open  air,  and  in  broad  day 
light. 

A  magistrate^  attended  by  two  police  officers,  called  in 
Spanish  alguazih^  presides  at  the  theatre  for  the  preser- 
vation of  order.  At  a  signal  given  by  the  magistrate,  a 
folding-door  at  the  farther  end  of  the  arena  opens,  and 
the  bull  furiously  advances.  At  the  sight  of  the  multitude 
of  spectators  by  whom  he  is  surrounded,  he  stops  short 


0onra  to  thb  bull  FieHT. 


SPAIN  AND  TUB  BULL  FIGHTS.  15 

and  looks  fiercely  about  hini,  as  if  seeking  an  object  on 
which  to  wreak  his  rage.  At  this  moment  one  of  the  com- 
batants appears  at  the  other  eii<l  of  the  arena.  These 
people  are  called  picadoreSj  because  they  are  armed  only 
with  pikes  or  lances.  They  are  on  horseback,  and  are 
dressed  after  the  ancient  Spanish  fashion.  The  picadore 
advances  slowly  after  the  bull,  and  stops  at  some  distance 
from  him.  The  two  antagonists  watch  each  other's  mo- 
tions with  the  greatest  attention,  and  appear  for  some 
moments  irresolute.  The  bull  then  bending  his  head, 
and  mustering  all  his  strength,  shuts  his  eyes  and  rushes 
upon  his  adversary  with  the  utmost  impetuosity.  The 
picadore,  fixed  as  it  were  to  the  saddle,  places  his  lance 
in  its  rest,  directs  the  point  of  it  against  the  shoulder  of 
the  raging  animal,  and  thus  turns  him  another  way.  This 
manoeuvre,  when  executed  with  dexterity,  rarely  fails  to 
produce  the  desired  efiect.  Sometimes,  however,  it  is 
rendered  unavailing  by  the  fury  of  the  animal,  as  I  have 
myself  witnessed.  One  of  the  bulls  rushed  upon  the 
lance  that  was  pointed  at  him,  and  raising  himself  almost 
upright  on  his  hind  legs  broke  it  in  pieces.  He  then  at- 
tacked the  horse  with  such  fury  as  to  overturn  him  with 
his  rideic  At  this  moment  the  chuloSj  young  men  of  ex- 
traordinary agility,  approached  with  small  cloaks  or  flags 
of  glaring  colors,  which  they  held  to  the  bull  to  divert  his 
attention,  a  ad  give  the  picadore  time  to  escape.  As  soon 
as  he  efiected  his  retreat,  a  second  picadore,  armed  like 
the 'first,  offered  battle  to  the  bull.  Animated  by  his 
victor  J,  the  beast  immediately  darted  towards  him.  The 
picadore  dexterously  kept  him  oft'  with  his  lance ;  but  the 


16  THE  ROMANCE  (  F  TRAVEL. 

bull  returned  to  the  charge,  before  his  antagonist  had 
time  to  prepare  for  his  reception.  With  his  horns  he  gored 
the  sides  of  the  horse,  which  sprang  up  a  considerable 
ieight,  and  in  his  fall  overthrew  the  picadore.  The 
chulos  then  ran  forward  again.  The  rider  escaped  and 
the  first  picadore  took  his  place.  He  entered  the  arena 
on  a  horse  which  had  never  yet  been  engaged  in  a  con- 
flict of  this  kind,  and  to  whom,  at  the  first  onset,  it  proved 
fatal.  The  bull  suddenly  turned  aside,  avoided  the  lance, 
and  gored  the  horse  with  such  fury  as  to  pierce  him  to 
the  heart.  It  sometimes  happens  that  the  bull  rips  up 
the  horse's  belly ;  the  poor  animals  may  then  be  seen 
treading  under  their  feet  their  own  entrails,  which  hang 
down  from  their  lacerated  sides,  and  yet  obeying  for  some 
time  after,  the  hand  which  conducts  them  to  new  tortures. 

Custom  unfortunately  hardens  the  hearts  of  the  spec- 
tators, and  even  of  women,  to  such  a  degree,  that  they 
beheld  this  scene  with  the  utmost  indifiierence,  or  if  they 
manifest  any  interest,  it  is  in  regard  to  the  motions  of 
the  enraged  buU.  I  saw  thirteen  horses  killed  in  a  single 
morning,  and  sometimes  there  are  many  more.  Such  is 
the  patience,  courage,  and  docility  of  these  animals,  that 
after  they  are  mortally  wounded,  they  will  carry  their 
rider  to  meet  the  enemy,  till  they  drop  down  dead  on  the 
spot 

When  the  bull,  tired  of  seeing  his  adversary  the  pica- 
dore appear  after  his  defeat,  safe  and  sound,  upon  another 
horse,  at  length  seems  determined  to  decline  the  combat, 
he  is  then  left  to  the  banderilloB,  These  are  eight  young 
meiiy  each  of  whom  is  provided  with  a  number  of  imaU 


SPAIN  AND  THE  BULL  FIGHTS.  17 

darts,  called  by  the  Spaniards  banderillaSj  which  are  orna- 
merited  with  small  streamers  made  of  colored  paper. 
These  they  plunge  into  the  bull's  neck ;  but  it  is  an  esta- 
blished rule,  that  they  must  never  attack  the  animal  with 
these  weapons  from  behind,  but  only  in  front.  To  this 
end  they  endeavor  to  irritate  the  animal,  and  when  he  is 
just  going  to  dart  at  them,  they  take  advantage  of  the 
moment  when  he  stops  and  shuts  his  eyes,  to  plunge  their 
banderillas  into  his  neck  and  run  away.  If  they  cannot 
make  the  bull  advance  to  meet  them,  they  hold  out  to  him 
the  moleta,  a  piece  of  scarlet  cloth  or  velvet,  which  they 
always  carry  in  the  left  hand.  They  excite  him  to  the 
pursuit  by  passing  close  to  him.  If  he  turns  sharply  upon 
them  they  rely  upon  their  agility  to  get  out  of  his  way. 
In  this  case,  to  amuse  him  and  divert  his  attention,  they 
drop  the  moleta.  This  artifice  commonly  succeeds.  The 
bull  stops,  smells  at  the  piece  of  stuff  and  tramples  upon 
it.  Sometimes,  however,  he  takes  no  notice  of  the  mo- 
leta, but  keeping  his  eye  fixed  on  his  real  enemy,  he  pur- 
sues him  so  swiftly,  that  the  banderillo  has  scarcely  time 
to  leap  over  the  barrier  which  surrounds  the  arena.  I 
have  seen  bulls  spring  over  it  almost  at  the  same  moment 
as  their  adversaries,  though  it  is  six  feet  high. 

Beyond  this  first  barrier,  at  the  distance  of  about  five 
feet,  is  a  second,  considerably  higher,  for  the  security  of 
the  spectators  who  are  seated  in  front.  Persons  of  vera- 
city have  assured  me  that  they  have  seen  bulls  spring 
with  such  force,  as  at  one  leap  to  clear  these  two  barriers, 
and  fall  upon  the  benches  of  the  amphitheatre.  When 
the  bull  has  fought  about  twenty  minutes  he  is  doomed  to 

3 


18  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

die.  This  is  the  most  interesting  moment  of  the  spectacle; 
according!}^  the  most  profound  silence  reigns  in  the  assem« 
blj.  The  master  of  the  combatants,  called  matador^  ap* 
pears,  and  anxious  expectation  is  depicted  in  the  faces  of 
the  spectators.  He  advances,  holding  the  moleta  in  hia 
left  hand,  and  a  sword  in  his  right.  During  the  wholj 
combat  he  has  attentively  studied  the  disposition  of  the 
bull,  and  watched  all  his  motions.  If  the  animal  is  claro^ 
that  is  to  say  impetuous  but  not  crafty,  the  metador  ap- 
proaches with  confidence,  sure  of  a  speedy  victory.  If, 
on  the  contrary,  the  bull  is  cautious  and  cunning,  if  he 
appears  cool  and  collected,  slow  in  forming  his  resolutions, 
and  prompt  in  executing  them,  he  is  called  ohscuro^  and 
such  an  animal  excites  apprehension  in  the  most  expe- 
rienced matador.  He  goes  up,  looks  steadfastly  at  him, 
and  endeavors  to  provoke  him ;  but  this  attempt  often 
proves  vain.  At  the  moment  when  he  thinks  to  avail 
himself  of  an  advantage,  the  wily  animal  eludes  the  stroke, 
becomes  the  assailant,  and  forces  his  enemy  to  fly.  The 
latter,  as  he  runs,  is  obliged  to  look  behind  him,  that  he 
may  judge  how  to  act  according  to  circumstances.  One 
of  these  matadors,  whose  name  was  Pepillo,  displayed  as- 
tonishing coolness  and  dexterity  on  these  occasions. 
When  he  was  pursued,  and  had  got  close  to  the  barrier, 
he  watched  the  bull  just  going  to  ma.ke  a  stroke  at  him, 
and  the  very  moment  when  the  animal  shut  ■  his  eyes,  he 
would  set  his  foot. between  the  bull's  horns,  and  thence 
gpring  over  the  barrier ;  which  shows  what  a  degree  of 
address  may  be  acquired  by  practice. 

While  I  was  in   Spain,  two  matadors  were  killed  in 


SPANISH  COSTUMBS. 


SPAIN  AND  THE  BULL  FIGHTS.  23 

Cadiz ;  they  were  brothers.  The  one  perished  by  acci- 
dent, the  other  rushed  into  the  arena  to  avenge  his  death, 
and  fell  a  victim  to  his  imprudence. 

A  skilful  and  experienced  matador,  who  retains  a  full 
command  of  himself  in  the  heat  of  action,  knows  how  to 
irritate  the  bull  in  such  a  manner,  that  he  runs  of  himself 
upon  the  point  of  the  sword,  which  forms  the  last  scene 
of  the  spectacle.  The  fatal  steel  is  usually  aimed  at  the 
spinal  marrow,  contiguous  to  the  brain,  and  penetrates  at 
the  junction  of  the  first  vertebra  to  the  head.  A  wound 
in  that  place  is  sufficient  to  bring  the  animal  to  the  ground, 
and  to  dispatch  him  without  drawing  a  drop  of  blood.  If 
a  favorable  opportunity  for  piercing  him  there  does  not 
occur,  the  matador  aims  at  his  heart.  Death,  in  this  case 
is  speedy,  but  not  so  sudden  as  in  the  former  instance. 
It  sometimes  happens  that  the  most  skilful  do  not  hit  the 
right  place.  I  once  saw  one  of  these  men  miss  his  stroke, 
and  was  tossed  upon  the  horns  of  the  bull,  which  shook 
him  twice  with  great  violence  before  any  assistance  could 
be  given  him.  His  person  escaped  without  any  dangerous 
wound ;  not  so  his  honor,  which  was  considered  to  have 
received  a  stain,  till  the  moment  when  the  bull  was  finally 
vanquished,  and  the  champion  was  able  to  measure  the 
horns  in  his  justification.  This  done,  he  requested  the 
spectators  to  take  notice  that  the  horn  upon  which  he  had 
been  caught,  was  two  inches  longer  than  the  other.  On 
proving  this  fact  he  was  greeted  with  a  general  shout  of 
applause.  To  show  a  want  of  address  or  presence  of 
mind  in  these  conflicts  is  a  disgrace  to  the  matadors,  who 
cannot  retrieve  their  character  except  by  a  signal  act  of 


22  THE  IIOMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

courage  and  intrepidity ;  for  you  must  know  that  these 
people  expose  themselves  to  such  danger  as  much  from 
motives  of  honor  as  of  interest,  and  the  Spanish  public 
censure  the  faults  committed  by  them  in  their  way,  as 
emphatically  as  bad  actors  are  condemned  by  us. 

It  is  wonderful  that  accidents  are  not  more  frequent  in 
these  fights,  considering  the  length  of  the  horns  of  some 
of  these  bulls.  The  tips  of  their  horns  are  often  five  feet 
distant  from  one  another.  Whenever  the  bull  has  leaped 
over  the  barriers  of  the  arena,  he  stamps  on  the  ground, 
and  throws  up  the  earth  furiously  with  his  feet ;  and  when 
he  has  killed  a  horse,  if  the  chulos  leave  him  unmolested, 
he  tramples  upon  his  enemy.  The  moment  the  vanquished 
beast  falls  at  the  feet  of  the  matador,  the  trumpet  sounds, 
and  three  mules  ornamented  with  bells  and  streamers 
come  to  drag  him  away. 

These  bull  fights  take  place  once  a  week,  and  frequently 
twice,  in  summer.  Eighteen  victims  are  destined  for  each 
fight,  six  for  morning  and  twelve  for  the  afternoon.  The 
expense  occasioned  by  such  a  spectacle  is  prodigious. 
The  matadaors  receive  a  considerable  sum,  as  do  also 
the  other  attendants.  We  must  likewise  include  the  cost 
of  the  eighteen  bulls,  and  of  perhaps  sixteen  or  eighteen 
horses  sacrificed  at  one  of  these  fights.  Since  they  have 
ceased  to  select,  as  formerly,  large,  strong  horses  of  a 
good  breed,  there  are  many  more  killed  in  every  combat. 
E^en  sixty  have  fallen  in  one  day. 


The  bulls  most  prized  for  the  Plaza  de  Toros,  or  jull 
fighting  circus,  are  those  which  are  wildest  and  most  fierce. 
An  English  traveller  thus  describes  the  hunting  and  cap- 
turing of  these  wild  bulls.  The  Peninsula  abounds  with 
extensive  forest  lands,  which,  though  reaching  over  a  wide 
extent  of  country,  is  sufficiently  open  to  afford  pasture  and 
food  to  herds  of  wild  cattle  who  roam  unmolested  amongst 
their  shades.  The  great  forest  of  the  Alemtejo  is  an  apt 
111;]: -lation.     In  this  some  hundreds  of  square  miles  of 

(23) 


24  THE  KOMANOE  OF  TRAVEL. 

country  are  occupied  by  growing  timber  ;  but  within  its 
bounds  large  open  spaces  exist  which  serve  for  pasturages, 
and  occasionally  a  farm,  a  vineyard,  or  an  olive  grove 
may  be  seen  struggling,  as  it  were,  for  existence  amidst 
tlie  vast  solitudes,  But  though  occasional  glimpses  of  cul- 
ture appear,  they  are  far  too  few  and  far  between  to  offer 
any  serious  check  to  the  increase  and  independence  of  the 
herds  which  roam  around  them  undisturbed.  It  was  in 
this  forest  that  I  witnessed  for  the  first  time  the  method 
of  capturing  the  w^ild  bulls.  I  had  received  intimation 
that  the  village  of  Alcoxete,  on  the  Tagus,  was  to  be  the 
scene  of  a  bull  fight,  and  that  the  villagers  for  many  miles 
round  were  invited  to  join  in  the  hunt,  which  was  to  take 
place  on  the  following  day ;  I  accordingly  crossed  the 
river  in  company  of  about  twenty  persons,  mostly  mili- 
tary, each  being  provided  with  a  long  pole,  having  a  small 
spike  fixed  in  one  end,  and  mounted  as  inclination  or 
ability  suited.  When  we  arrived  on  the  opposite  bank.^ 
a  little  before  daybreak,  we  found  between  two  hundred 
and  fifty  and  three  hundred  persons  assembled,  some 
mounted  on  different  sorts  of  quadrupeds,  from  the  noble 
Andalusian  horse  to  the  humble  hack  donkey,  and  very 
many  on  foot.  As  soon  as  daylight  began  to  appear 
we  marched  off  towards  the  forest.  The  morning  was 
peculiarly  fine,  and  the  interest  of  the  beautiful  scenery 
was  heightened  by  the  varied  costumes  of  the  hunters 
As  soon  as  we  had  advanced  some  distance  into  the  w^ood 
we  halted  for  the  purpose  of  refreshment,  before  the  ar- 
duous and  somewhat  perilous  duties  of  the  day  began. 
After  a  hasty  meal   we  divided    into    two  parties,   one 


WILD  BULL  HUNTING  IN  SPAIN.  27 

stretching  in  a  long  line  to  the  right  and  the  other  to  the 
left.  They  had  not  advanced  far  in  this  manner  before 
they  fell  in  with  a  herd  of  cattle  having  twelve  bulls  with 
it,  which  no  sooner  descried  ns  than  they  bounded  off  with 
the  speed  of  lightning.  The  sport  had  now  began ;  we 
put  our  horses  to  the  utmost  speed,  threading  our  way 
amongst  the  tall  pine  trees  as  well  as  we  could,  and  en- 
deavoring by  wild  cries  to  drive  the  bulls  towards  the 
other  party.  At  length,  after  about  an  hour's  chase,  some 
half  dozen  of  us  who  were  better  mounted  than  the  rest 
came  up  with  them,  and  commenced  the  attack  with  long 
poles..  The  manner  was  this :  one  person  riding  at  full 
speed  gave  the  bull  nearest  him  a  sharp  prick  with  the 
goad,  which  it  no  sooner  felt  than  it  gave  chase  ;  another 
horseman  then  coming  up  attacked  it  on  the  other  side, 
when,  leaving  the  first  assailant,  it  turned  upon  the  second ; 
he  in  like  manner  was  rescued  by  a  third,  and  so  on.  The 
attention  of  the  infuriated  animal  thus  distracted  prevented 
his  escape,  and  gave  time  for  the  others  to  come  up.  The 
bulls  were  thus  at  length  separated  from  the  herd. 

A  sufficient  number  having  arrived  to  form  a  circle 
around  them,  we  commenced  operations  for  the  purpose 
of  driving  them  towards  the  town ;  all  the  skill  of  the 
riders  was  now  necessary,  and  all  the  activity  possessed 
by  both  man  and  horse,  to  keep  clear  from  the  pointed 
horns  which  on  every  side  were  directed  against  him,  as 
well  as  to  prevent  the  herd  from  breaking  through  the 
living  net  with  which  it  was  surrounded.  This  was  per- 
haps the  most  difficult  part,  and  attained  by  keeping  each 
bull  separately  engaged,  and  thus  preventing  united  ac- 


28 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 


tion;  for  what  line  was  suflficient,  armed  as  we  were,  to 
resist  the  simultaneous  rush  of  these  most  powerful  ani 
mals.  The  continued  activity  and  exertion  requisite  Iiad 
knocked  up  many  of  the  poor  jades  who  had  started  in 
the  morning,  and  the  circle  became  smaller  and  sniallei 
as  the  day  advanced ;  several,  too,  had  been  carried  oiT 
severely  gored  and  wounded  by  the  horns  and  feet  of  the 
bulls.  I,  however,  and  the  party  with  who^  I  started, 
were  resolved  to  see  the  conclusion,  and  reJoubling  our 
eiforts  we  at  length,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
succeeded  in  driving  them  into  an  inclosure  where  were 
i  number  of  oxen,  all  at  one  time  wild,  with  bell,  quietly 
grazing.  Here  they  were  kept  till  required  f'>r  the  next 
lay's  sport. 


A  few  scenes  and  incidents  from  Sir  George  Simpson's 
"Narrative  of  an  Overland  Journey  round  the  World/' 
will,  we  are  sure,  prove  welcome  to  our  readers,  and  in- 
troduce them  to  a  work  of  great  interest  and  value.  The 
traveller  traversed  three  continents,  Europe,  Asia,  and 
America,  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans, 
We  quote  his  own  account  as  follows. 

(29) 


About  seven  hours  of  hard  work  brought  us  to  the 
height  of  land, — the  hinge,  as  it  were,  between  the  eastern 
and  the  western  waters.  We  breakfasted  on  the  level 
isthmus,  which  did  not  exceed  fourteen  paces  in  width, 
filling  our  kettles  for  this  our  lonely  meal  at  once  from 
the  crystal  sources  of  the  Columbia  and  the  Saskatchewan, 
while  these  feeders  of  two  opposite  oceans,  murmuring 
(80) 


AN  INDIAN  HUT. 


THE  ROCKY   MOUXTATNS.  38 

over  their  beds  of  mossy  stones  as  if  to  bid  eacli  other  a 
long  farewell,  coulJ  hardly  fail  to  attune  our  minds  to  the 
sublimity  of  the  scene.  But,  between  these  kindred  foun- 
tains, the  common  progeny  of  the  snow-wreaths,  there 
was  this  remarkable  difference  of  temperature,  that  the 
source  of  the  Columbia  showed  forty  degrees,  while  that 
of  the  Saskatchewan  raised  the  mercury  to  fifty-three  and 
a  half  degrees,  the  thermometer  meanwhile  standing  as 
high  as  seventy-one  in  the  shade.  From  the  vicinity  of 
perpetual  snow,  we  estimated  the  elevation  of  the  height 
of  land  to  be  seven  or  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  while  the  surrounding  peaks  appeared  to  rise 
nearly  half  of  that  altitude  above  our  heads.  Still  this 
pass  was  inferior  in  grandeur  to  that  of  the  Athabasca 
Portage.  There,  the  road,  little  better  than  a  succession 
of  glaciers,  runs  through  a  region  of  perpetual  snow, 
where  nothing  can  be  called  a  tree  presents  itself  to  re- 
lieve and  cheer  the  eye.  There,  too,  the  relative  position 
of  the  opposite  waters  is  such  as  to  have  hardly  a  parallel 
on  the  earth's  surface;  for  a  small  lake,  appropriately 
enough  known,  as  the  Committee's  Punch  Bowl,  sends  its 
tribute  from  one  end  to  the  Columbia,  and  from  the  other 
to  the  M'Kenzie.  In  addition  to  the  physical  magnlfi 
cence  of  the  scene,  I  here  met  an  unexpected  reminiscence 
of  my  own  native  hills  in  the  shape  of  a  plant,  which  a 
peared  to  me  to  be  the  very  heather  of  the  Highlands  c 
Scotland ;  and  T  might  well  regard  the  reminiscence  t 
unexpected,  inasmuch  as  in  all  my  wanderings  of  twenty 
years,  I  had  never  found  any  thing  of  the  kind  in  Norti 
America.     As  I  took  a  considerable  degree  of  interest  it 


34  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

the  qiiesticn  of  the  supposed  identity,  I  carried  awiy  two 
spcolraens,  which,  however,  proved,  on  a  minute  compa- 
rison, to  differ  from  the  genuine  staple  of  the  brown 
heaths  of  the  "land  o'  cakes.'*  We  made  also  another 
discovery,  about  which  there  could  be  no  mistake,  in  a 
troublesome  and  venomous  species  of  winged  insect,  which, 
in  size  and  appearance,  might  have  been  taken  for  a  cross 
betAveen  the  bull  dog  and  house  fly.  On  resuming  our 
march,  we  had  not  descended  half  a  mile,  before  we  felt  a 
difference  in  the  climate,  a  change  noticed  by  all  travellers 
in  these  regions ;  and  the  trees  were  also  of  fine  growth. 
Whatever  may  be  the  reason  of  the  sudden  alteration,  the 
same  clouds  have  been  known  to  clothe  the  eastern  side  with 
hail  and  snow,  and  to  refresh  the  western  with  gentle  rain. 
With  reference,  however,  to  this  state  of  the  atmosphere, 
the  temperature  of  the  water  is  somewhat  anomalous ;  for, 
after  a  lapse  of  two  or  three  days,  the  stream,  which'  we 
followed,  was  subsequently  found  to  be  still  half  a  degree 
cooler  than  the  source  of  the  Bow  River  on  the  height  of 
land.  In  the  progress  of  our  descent,  we  took  some  in- 
terest in  tracing,  as  it  were.  Nature's  manufacture  of  a 
river,  as  every  rill  that  trickled  down  the  rocks,  with  its 
thread  of  melted  snow,  contributed  its  mite  to  the  main 
current  of  various  names,  the  Kootonais,  or  the  M'Gilliv- 
ray,  or  the  Flat-bow.  Even  at  our  first  encampment, 
after  only  half  a  day's  march,  the  flood  had  already  ga- 
thered a  breadth  of  fifty  feet.  Next  morning,  we  forded 
the  river  twenty-three  times,  each  attempt  becoming,  of 
course,  more  difScult  than  the  preceding  one ;  and  we 
crossed  it  once  more,  immediately  before  breakfast,  near 


RED  DEER,  DOE,  AND  FAWN 


THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS. 


87 


its  confluence  with  another  stream  of  about  equal  magni- 
tude. During  this  single  march,  the  fifty  feet  of  yester- 
day evening  had  swollen  into  a  hundred  yards ;  and  the 
channel  was  so  deep,  that  the  packs  got  soaked  on  the 
backs  of  the  horses.  Here  we  made  a  meal  of  our  third 
porcupine,  the  only  fresh  meat  that  we  could  get ;  for 
though  our  track  bore  the  recent  marks  of  the  bear,  tlie 
buffalo,  the  antelope,  the  sheep,  the  moose,  the  red  deer, 
and  the  wolf,  yet  the  noise  of  our  cavalcade  seemed  to 
scare  all  these  animals  into  the  woods. 


-^k;x:z:::^^^^^^^^ 


A  POBOUPIlinL 


^,^  ''- — -'NrJVny^- 


f!iK)eec)ofe^s  of  ii]e  ^j|5^k)s. 


Next   day,  continues   Sir   Georj 


ipson,  while  we 


were  waitinnr  the  arrival  of  such  of  our  people  as  were 
coming  by  hind  fi-om  Kullespelni  I.'ake,  we  employed  our 
leisure  in  paying  a  visit  to  the  native  camp,  crossing,  for 
thic  purpose,  a  small  stream  in  canoes  closely  resem* 
bling  those  we  had  seen  on  the  Kootonais  River.  On  our 
arrival,  all  the  inmates  of  about  twenty-five  lodges — at 
least,  all  such  as  could  move — rushed  to  shake  hands  with 
us.  The  tents  were  of  every  conceivable  vshape,  some  ob- 
long, others  round,  and  so  on,  while  the  clumsy  frame- 
work was  covered  with  mats,  or  bark,  or  boughs,  or  skins, 
(38) 


> 


^ 
w 


> 

•2i 


ANECDOTES  OF  THE  INDIANS.  41 

or  any  thing  else  that  had  come  in  the  way.  The  inte- 
rior to  say  nothing  of  the  swarms  of  vermin,  contained  a 
heterogeneous  collection  of  mats,  skins,  guns,  pots,  pans, 
baskets,  kamraas,  berries,  children,  dogs,  ashes,  filth,  and 
1  iibbish  ;  and  round  the  sides  were  arranged  the  beds  of 
mats,  generally  raised  a  little  from  the  ground.  Though 
the  men  were  doing  little  or  nothing,  yet  the  women  were 
all  busily  employed  in  preparing  kammas  and  berries, 
including  hips  and  haws,  into  cakes  against  the  winter. 

The  kammas,  which  deserves  a  more  particular  descrip- 
tion, is  very  like  the  onion,  except  that  it  has  little  or  no 
taste.  It  grows  on  swampy  ground ;  and  when  the  plant, 
which  bears  a  blue  flower,  has  produced  its  seed,  the  root 
is  dug  up  by  the  women  by  means  of  a  stick  about  two 
feet  long  with  a  handle  across  the  head  of  it,  and  thrown 
into  baskets  slung  on  their  backs.  As  the  article  is  very 
abundant,  each  of  the  poor  creatures  generally  collects 
about  a  peck  a  day.  When  taken  home,  the  kammas  is 
pla,ced  over  a  gentle  fire  in  the  open  air,  fermenting,  after 
about  two  days  and  nights,  into  a  black  substance,  which  has 
something  of  the  flavor  of  liquorice.  After  being  pounded 
in  a  trough,  this  stufi"  is  formed  into  cakes,  which,  when 
thoroughly  baked,  are  stowed  away  in  baskets  for  the 
winter.  After  all  this  preparation  the  kammas  is  but  a 
poor  and  nauseous  food.  These  people,  however,  were 
likely  soon  to  have  something  better  as  a  result  of  their 
contact  with  civilization.  In  one  of  their  lodges  we  were 
surprised  to  find  several  baskets  of  potatoes ;  and,  in  an- 
swer to  our  inquiries  on  the  subject,  we  were  shown  two 
catches  of  ground  where  they  had  been  produced,  th^  seed 

6 


^2  THE  KOMANCB  OF  TRAVEL. 

together  with  the  implements  having  been  supplied  at  Fort 
Colville. 

Some  three  or  four  years  ago,  a  party  of  Saulteaux, 
being  much  pressed  by  hunger,  were  anxious  to  cross  from 
the  mainland  to  one  of  their  iGshing  stations,  an  island 
about  twenty  miles  distant ;  but  it  was  nearly  as  dange- 
rous to  go  as  to  remain,  for  the  spring  had  just  reached 
that  critical  point  when  there  was  neither  open  water  nor 
trustworthy  ice.  A  council  being  held  to  weigh  the  re- 
spective chances  of  drowning  and  starving,  all  the  speakers 
opposed  the  contemplated  move,  till  an  old  man  of  con- 
siderable influence  thus  spoke  :  "  You  know,  my  friends, 
that  the  Great  Spirit  gave  one  of  our  squaws  a  child  yes- 
terday. Now,  he  cannot  Jiave  sent  it  into  the  world  to 
take  it  away  again  directly ;  and  I  would  therefore  re- 
commend our  carrying  the  child  with  us,  and  keeping 
close  to  it,  as  the  assurance  of  our  own  safety."  In  full 
reliance  on  this  reasoning,  nearly  the  whole  ban*d  imm( - 
diately  committed  themselves  to  the  treacherous  ice  ;  and 
they  all  perished  miserably,  to  the  number  of  eight-and- 
twenty. 

The  Pend'  d'Oreilles  are  generally  called  the  Flat- 
heads,  the  two  clans,  in  fact,  being  united.  They  do  not 
muster  in  all  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  families. 
L» --.e  their  neighbors,  the  Kootonais,  they  are  noted  for  the 
r)ravery  with  which  they  defend  themselves,  and  also  for 
their  attachment  to  the  whites.  Still  the  two  races  are 
entirely  distinct,  their  language  being  fundamentally  dif- 
ferent. The  variety  of  tongues  on  the  west  side  of  the 
mountains  is   almost   infinite,   so  that  scarcely  any  two 


COUNCIL  OM  INDIANS 


ANECDOTES  OF  THE  INDIANS.  46 

tribes  understand  each  other  perfectly.  They  have  all, 
however,  the  common  character  of  being  very  guttural ; 
and,  in  fact,  the  sentences  often  appear  to  be  mere  jum- 
bles of  grunts  and  croaks,  such  as  no  alphabet  could 
express  in  writing. 

Many,  many  summers  ago,  a  large  party  of  Assini- 
boines,  pouncing  on  a  small  band  of  Crees,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  this  knoll,  nearly  destroyed  them.  Among 
the  victors  was  the  former  wife  of  one  of  the  vanquished, 
who,  in  a  previous  foray,  had  been  carried  off  by  her  pre- 
sent husband  from  her  ancient  lord  and  master.  Whether 
it  was  that  her  new  friend  was  younger  than  her  old  one, 
or  that  she  was  conscious  of  having  been  a  willing  accom- 
plice in  the  elopement,  the  lady,  rushing  into  the  thickest 
of  the  fight,  directed  every  effort  against  the  life  of  her 
first  lover.  In  spite,  however,  of  the  faithless  amazon's 
special  attention,  the  Wolverine,  for  such  was  his  name, 
effected  his  escape  from  the  field  of  carnage,  while  the 
conquerors  were  gloating  over  the  scalps  of  his  brethren 
in  arms.  Creeping  stealthily  along  for  the  whole  day, 
under  cover  of  the  woods,  he  concealed  himself  at  night- 
%11,  in  a  hole  on  the  top  of  the  rising  ground  in  question. 
But,  though  he  had  thus  eluded  the  vigilance  of  his  na- 
tional enemies,  there  was  one  who,  under  the  influence  of 
personal  hatred,  had  never  lost  sight  or  scent  of  his  trail ; 
%nd  no  sooner  had  he  sunk,  exhausted  by  hunger  and  fa- 
tigue, into  a  sound  sleep,  than  the  unswerving  and  untir- 
ing bloodhound  sent  an  arrow  into  his  brain,  with  a  tri- 
umphant yell.  Before  the  morning  dawned,  the  virago 
proudly  presented  to  her  Assiniboine  husband  the  bleed- 


ie 


THE  UOMAJS'CE  OF  TRAVEL. 


A  BLACKFOOT  WARRJOF. 


I 


ing  scalp  of  his  unfortunate  rival;  and  the  scene  of  Ler 
desperate  exploit  was  thenceforward  known  as  the  Butte 
a  Carcajar,  or  the  Wolverine  Knoll.  In*  proof  of  the 
truth  of  the  story,  the  Indians  assert  that  the  ghost  of  the 
murderess  and  her  victim  are  often  to  be  seen,  from  a 
considerable  distance,  struggling  together  on  the  very 
s  a  111  mi  t  of  the  height. 

About  twenty  years  ago,  a  large  encampment  of  Gros 
Wutrces  and  Blackfeet  had  been  formed  m  the  neigh- 
ixji  li'jod,  for  the  purpose  of  hunting  during  the  summer. 
Growing  tired,  however,  of  so  peaceable  and  ignoble  nn 


|„„i..   :,   'lilul.ii.^iikl'''' 


ANECDOTES  OF  THE  INDIANS.  49 

ocoupat.\on,  the  younger  warriors  of  the  allied  tribes  de- 
termined to  make  an  incursion  into  the  territories  of  the 
Assiniboines.  Having  gone  into  all  the  requisite  enchant- 
ments, they  left  behind  them  only  the  old  men,  with  the 
women  and  children.  After  a  successful  campaign,  they 
turned  their  steps  homeward  in  triumph,  loaded  with 
scalps  and  other  spoils ;  and  on  reaching  the  top  of  the 
ridge  that  overlooked  the  camp  of  the  infirm  and  defence- 
less of  their  band,  they  notified  their  approach  in  the 
proudly-swelling  tones  of  their  song  of  victory.  Every 
7odge,  however,  was  as  still  and  silent  as  the  grave ;  and 
at  length,  singing  more  loudly,  as  they  advanced,  in 
order  to  conceal  their  emotions,  they  found  the  full  tale 
of  the  mangled  corpses  of  their  parents  and  sisters,  of 
their  wives  and  children.  In  a  word,  the  Assiniboines 
had  been  there  to  take  their  revenge.  Such  is  the  true 
picture  of  savage  warfare,  and  perhaps  too  often  of  civi- 
lized warfare  also — calamity  to  both  sides,  and  advantage 
to  neither.  On  beholding  the  dismal  scene,  the  bereaved 
conquerors  cast  away  their  spoils,  arms,  and  clothes ;  and 
then,  putting  on  robes  of  leather,  and  smearing  their 
heads  with  mud,  they  betook  themselves  to  the  hills  for 
three  days  and  nights,  to  howl,  and  mourn,  and  cut  their 
flesh.  This  mode  of  expressing  grief  bears  a  very  close 
resemblance  to  the  corresponding  custom  among  the  Jews 
in  almost  every  particular. 

We  met  many  natives  who  had  never  seen  a  European 
before.  These  unsophisticated  savages  had  their  curiosity 
more  strongly  excited  by  a  negro  of  the  name  of  Pierre 
Bungo.     This  man  they  inspected  in  every  possible  way, 

7 


60 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 


twisting  him  about  and  pulling  liis  hair,  which  was  so  dit' 
ferent  from  their  own  flowing  locks :  and  at  length  they 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  Pierre  Bungo  was  the  oddest 
specimen  of  a  white  man  they  had  ever  seen.  These  ne- 
groes, of  whom  there  were  formerly  several  in  the  Com- 
pany's  service,  were  universal  favorites  with  the  fair  sex 
of  the  red  rac^- 


THB  BUFFALO  OR  BISON. 


Ilf|e  JxcifeiKie^fg  of  $i|ff^lo  Jfi|if)tiif)g. 

To  begin  with  the  most  important  part  of  our  proceed- 
ings, continues  Sir  George  Simpson,  the  business  of  en 
camping  for  our  brief  night,  we  selected,  about  sunset, 
some  dry  and  tolerable  clear  spot ;  and,  immediately  on 
landing,  the  sound  of  the  axe  would  be  ringing  through 
the  woods,  as  the  men  were  felling  whole  trees  for  our 
fires,  and  preparing,  if  necessary,  a  space  for  our  tents. 
In  less  than  ten  minutes  our  three  lodges  would  be 
pitched,  each  with  such  a  blaze  in  front  as  virtually  im- 
parted a  new  sense  of  enjoyment  to  all  the  young  cam 

(68) 


54  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

paigners,  while  through  the  crackling  flames  were  to  be 
seen  the  requisite  number  of  pots  and  kettles  for  our  sup- 
pel  Our  beds  were  next  laid,  consisting  of  an  oil-cloth 
spread  on  the  bare  earth,  with  three  blankets  and  a  pillow, 
and,  when  occasion  demanded,  with  cloaks  and  great  coats 
at  discretion  ;  and,  whether  the  wind  howled  or  the  rain 
poured,  our  pavillion  of  canvass  formed  a  safe  barrier 
against  the  weather.  While  part  of  our  crews,  compris- 
ing all  the  landsmen,  were  doing  duty  as  stokers,  and 
^ooks,  and  architects,  and  chambermaids,  the  more  expe- 
rienced voyagers,  after  unloading  the  canoes,  had  drawn 
them  on  the  beach  with  their  bottoms  upwards,  to  inspect, 
and,  if  needful,  to  renovate  the  stitching  and  the  gum- 
ming ;  and,  as  the  little  vessels  were  made  to  incline  on 
one  side  to  windward,  each  with  a  roaring  fire  to  leeward, 
the  crews,  every  man  in  his  own  single  blanket,  managed 
to  set  wind  and  rain  and  cold  at  defiance,  almost  as  ef- 
fectually as  ourselves.  Weather  permitting,  our  slum- 
bers would  be  broken  about  one  in  the  morning  by  the 
cry  of  *'Leve,  leve,  leve  !"  In  five  minutes,  woe  to  the 
inmates  that  were  slow  in  dressing  ;  the  tents  were  tum- 
bling about  our  ears ;  and,  within  half  an  hour,  the  camp 
would  be  raised,  the  canoes  laden,  and  the  paddles  keep- 
ing time  to  some  merry  old  song.  About  eight  o'clock, 
a  convenient  place  would  be  selected  for  breakfast,  about 
three  quarters  of  an  hour  being  allotted  for  the  multifa- 
rious operations  of  unpacking  and  repacking  the  equipage, 
laying  and  removing  the  cloth,  boiling  and  frying,  eating 
and  drinking ;  and,  while  the  preliminaries  were  arrang- 
ing, the  hardier  among  us  would  wash  and  shave,  each 


'MIE  ]:XClTEx\IENTS  OF  BUFFALO  HUNTING.  57 

person  carryinrg  soap  and  towel  in  his  pocket,  and  finding 
a  mirror  in  the  same  sandy  or  rocky  basin  that  held  the 
water.  About  two  in  the  afternoon  we  usually  put  ashore 
for  dinner;  and,  as  this  meal  needed  no  fire,  or  at  least 
got  none,  it  was  not  allowed  to  occupy  more  than  twenty 
minutes  or  half  an  hour.  Such  was  the  routine  of  our 
journey,  the  day,  generally  speaking,  being  divided  into 
six  hours  rest  and  eighteen  of  labor.  This  almost  incre- 
dible toil  the  voyageurs  bore  without  a  murmur,  and  gene- 
rally with  such  an  hilarity  of  spirit  as  few  other  men 
could  sustain  for  a  single  forenoon. 

The  buffalo  is  larger  than  the  domestic  cattle,  except- 
ing that  its  legs  are  shorter.  Its  large  head,  about  a 
third  part  of  its  entire  length,  gives  it  a  very  uncouth 
appearance,  while  its  shaggy  beard  and  mane  resembles 
the  lion's,  though  on  a  larger  scale ;  and,  when  running 
tast,  it  tosses  its  rugged  frontispiece  at  every  step.  But, 
notwithstanding  it  terrific  looks,  it  is  really  a  timid  crea- 
ture, excepting  that,  when  urged  by  despair,  to  do  justice 
to  its  physical  powers,  it  becomes  a  fearful  antagonist. 
Several  parties,  of  about  six  or  eight  men  each,  having 
been  formed  for  the  occasion,  each  division  approached  its 
own  chosen  quarry  cautiously,  till  within  a  few  hundred 
feet  of  the  devoted  band,  when  it  rushed  at  full  gallop  on 
its  prey.  Taking  'the  alarm,  the  animals  immediately 
started  off  at  a  canter  in  single  file,  an  old  bull  usually 
taking  the  lead.  When  alongside,  as  they  soon  were,  the 
hunters  fired,  loading  and  discharging  again  and  again, 
always  with  fatal  effect,  without  slackening  their  pace. 
The  dexterity  with  which  the  experienced  sportsman  can 

b 


68  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

manage  his  gun  is  quite  wonderful.  While  his  steed  is 
constantly  galloping,  he  primes  his  lock,  pours  out  the 
proper  quantity  of  powder,  first  into  his  left  hand  and 
then  into  the  muzzle,  drops  a  ball  upon  the  charge  with- 
out wadding,  having  merely  wetted  it  in  his  mouth,  and 
then  knocks  down  the  fattest  cow  within  his  reach, — all 
within  less  than  half  a  minute.  The  morning's  chase  re- 
sulted in  about  fifty  killed ;  but  so  abundant  were  provi- 
sions at  this  moment,  that,  after  taking  the  tongues,  we 
left  the  carcasses  to  the  mercy  of  the  wolves.  The  affair, 
however,  is  very  different  when  the  professional  hunters 
go  in  hundreds  to  the  plains  to  make  as  much  as  they 
can  of  the  buffalo.  When  they  meet  the  herd,  which 
often  makes  the  whole  scene  almost  black  with  its  num- 
bers, they  rush  forward,  pell-mell,  firing  and  loading  as 
already  mentioned ;  and,  while  the  bullets  fly,  amidst 
clouds  of  smoke  and  dust,  the  infuriated  and  bewildered 
brutes  run  in  every  direction  with  their  tormentors  still 
by  their  sides.  By  reason  of  the  closeness  of  the  con- 
flict, serious  accidents  from  shots  are  comparatively  rare ; 
and  nearly  all  the  casualties  are  the  result  of  falls,  which 
few  riders  have  leisure  either  to  prevent  or  soften.  When 
the  buffaloes  are  dispersed,  or  the  horses  exhausted,  or  the 
hunters  satisfied,  then  every  man  proceeds  to  recognize 
his  own  carcasses,  having  marked  one* with  his  cap,  another 
with  his  coat,  a  third  with  his  belt,  a  fourth  with  his  fire- 
bag,  and  so  forth ;  and  then  comes  into  play  the  science 
and  art  of  curing  what  had  been  killed.  [One  mode  of 
hunting  the  bison,  not  noticed  by  Sir  George  Simpson,  is 
for  the  Indians  to  disguise  themselves  in  the  skins  of  the 


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THE  EXCITEMENTS  OF  BUFFALO  HUNTING.  61 

white  wolf,  and  approaching  them  within  arrow-shot  to 
pick  off  one  at  a  time.]  Sometimes  dried  meat  is  pre- 
ferred, the  bones  being  taken  out  and  the  flesh  hung  up 
in  the  sun ;  but,  if  pemmican  be  the  order  of  the  day,  the 
lean,  after  being  dried,  is  pounded  into  dust,  which  being 
put  into  a  bag  made  of  the  hide,  is  enriched  with  nearly 
an  equal  weight  of  melted  fat.  The  buffaloes  are  incre- 
dibly numerous.  In  the  year  1829,  for  instance,  I  saw 
as  many  as  ten  thousand  putrid  carcasses  lying  mixed  in 
a  single  ford  of  the  Saskatchewan,  and  contaminating  the 
air  for  many  miles  round.  They  make  yearly  migrations 
from  one  part  of  the  country  to  another,  reversing,  in  this 
respect,  the  ordinary  course  of  birds  of  passage.  During 
the  winter,  they  go  north  in  order  to  obtain  the  shelter 
of  the  woods  against  the  severity  of  the  weather ;  while, 
on  the  approach  of  summer,  they  proceed  to  the  open 
plains  of  the  south,  with  the  view  of  eluding  the  attacks 
of  the  musquitoes.  At  this  time  of  the  year  they  hac^ 
deserted  the  country  through  which  we  had  been  travelling 
of  late ;  and  the  wolves,  thus  deprived  of  their  staple 
food,  were  so  wretchedly  thin,  that  we  could  hare  easily 
eounted  their  ribs  with  the  eye  alone. 


Mr.  M.  G.  Lewis,  an  English  poet  and  novelist  of  con- 
siderable note,  owned  a  plantation  and  some  slaves  il 
Jamaica.  In  1833,  he  published  a  "  Journal  of  a  West 
Indian  Proprietor,*'  giving  some  highly  interesting  views 
of  the  island  and  its  inhabitants.  We  copy  soiii  f  the 
(62) 


MR.   LEWIS  IN  JAMAIC.\  66 

passages  in  this  work  for  the  entertainment  of  our  readers. 
Speaking  of  the  negroes,  he  says  : 

It  was  particularly  agreeable  to  me  to  observe,  as  a 
proof  of  the  good  treatment  which  they  had  experienced, 
so  many  old  servants  of  the  family,  many  of  whom  had 
been  born  on  the  estate,  and  who,  though  turned  of  sixty 
and  seventy,  were  still  strong,  healthy,  and  cheerful.  Many 
manumitted  negroes,  also,  came  from  other  parts  of  the 
country  on  hearing  of  my  arrival,  because,  as  they  said, — 
*'  if  they  did  not  come  to  see  massa,  they  were  afraid  that 
It  would  look  ungrateful,  and  as  if  they  cared  no  longer 
about  him  and  Cornwall,  [Cornwall  is  the  name  of  Mr. 
Lewis's  plantation,]  now  that  they  were  free/'  So  they 
stayed  two  or  three  days  on  the  estate,  coming  up  to  the 
house  for  their  dinners,  and  going  to  sleep  at  night  among 
their  friends  in  their  own  former  habitations,  the  negro 
hats ;  and  when  they  went  away,  they  assured  me  that 
notliing  should  prevent  their  coming  back  to  bid  me  fare- 
well, before  I  left  the  island.  All  this  may  be  palaver ; 
but  certainly  they  at  least  play  their  parts  with  such  an 
air  of  truth,  and  warmth,  and  enthusiasm,  that,  after  the 
cold  hearts  and  repulsive  manners  of  England  the  contrast 
is  infinitely  agreeable. 

I  find  it  quite  impossible  to  resist  the  fascination  of  the 
conscious  pleasure  of  pleasing  :  and  my  own  heart,  whicl 
I  have  so  long  been  obliged  to  keep  closed,  seems  to  expand 
\tself  again  in  the  sunshine  of  the  kind  looks  and  worda 
which  meet  me  at  every  turn,  and  seem  to  wait  for  mine 
AS  anxiously  as  if  they  were  so  many  diamonds.' 

9 


6i5  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

It  is  now  one  in'  the  morning,  and  I  hear  them  sti'^i 
shouting  and  singing. 

This  noisy  festival  gave  Mr.  Lewis  a  violent  head-ache, 
and  it  was  late  in  the  next  day  (Saturday)  before  he  could 
muster  nerve  for  a  little  excursion  in  his  curricle.  In  the 
course  of  his  evening  drive,  among  other  things  that  he 
details,  he  met  the  negroes  returning  from  the  mountains 
with  baskets  of  provisions  sufficient  to  last  them  for  the 
week. — By  law  (he  adds)  they  are  only  allowed  every 
other  Saturday  for  the  purpose  of  cultivating  their  own 
grounds,  which  indeed  is  sufficient ;  but  by  giving  them 
every  alternate  Saturday  into  the  bargain,  it  enables  them 
to  perform  their  task  with  so  much  ease  as  almost  convert 
it  into  an  amusement ;  and  the  frequent  visiting  their 
grounds  makes  them  grow  habitually  as  much  attached  tc 
them  as  they  are  to  their  houses  and  gardens.  It  is  also 
advisable  for  them  to  bring  home  only  a  week's  provisions 
at  a  time,  rather  than  a  fortnight's ;  for  they  are  so 
thoughtless  and  improvident,  that  when  they  find  them- 
selves in  possession  of  a  larger  supply  than  is  requisite  for 
their  immediate  occasions,  they  will  sell  half  to  the  wan 
dering  higglers,  or  at  Savanna  la  Mar,  in  exchange  for 
spirits  ;  and  then,  at  the  end  of  the  week,  they  find  them 
selves  entirely  unprovided  with  food,  and  come  to  beg  a 
supply  from  the  master  8  storehouse, 

I  never  witnessed  on  the  stage  a  scene  so  picturesque 
as  a  negro  village.  I  walked  through  my  own  to-day,  and 
visited  the  houses  of  the  drivers,"  and  other  principal 
persons;  and  if  I  were  to  decide  according  to  my  own 
taste,  I  should  infinitely  have  preferred  their  habitations 


NEGROES  DANCING 


MR.   LEWIS  IN  JAMAICA.  69 

to  my  own.  Each  house  is  surrounded  by  a  separate 
garden,  and  the  whole  village  is  intersected  by  lanes,  bor- 
dered with  all  kinds  of  sweet-smelling  and  flowering-plants  ; 
but  not  such  gardens  as  those  belonging  to  our  'English 
cottages,  where  a  few  cabbages  and  carrots  just  peep  up 
and  grovel  upon  the  earth  between  hedges,  in  square 
narrow  beds,  and  where  the  tallest  tree  is  a  goose-berry 
bush :  the  vegetables  of  the  negroes  are  all  cultivated  in 
their  provision-grounds  ;  those  form  their  kitchcn-gSLr dens ^ 
and  these  are  all  for  ornament  or  luxury,  and  are  filled 
with  a  profusion  of  oranges,  shaddocks,  cocoa-nuts,  and 
peppers  of  all  descriptions. 

Another  entry  says — 

Besides  the  profits  arising  from  their  superabundance 
of  provisions,  which  the  better  sort  of  negroes  are  enabled 
to  sell  regularly  once  a  week  at  Savannah  la  Mar  to  a 
considerable  amount,  they  keep  a  large  stock  of  poultry, 
and  pigs  without  number ;  which  latter  cost  their  owners 
but  little,  though  they  cost  me  a  great  deal;  for  they 
generally  make  their  way  into  the  cane-pieces,  and  some- 
times eat  up  an  hogshead  of  sugar  in  the  course  of  tne 
morning. 

And  again  he  tells  us — 

The  negro-houses  are  composed  of  wattles  on  the  out- 
side, with  rafters  of  sweet-wood,  and  are  well  plastered 
within  and  white-washed ;  they  consist  of  two  chambers, 
one  for  cooking  and  the  other  for  sleeping,  and  are,  in 
general,  well  furnished  with  chairs,  tables.  &c.,  and  I  saw 
Tione  without  a  four-post  bedstead,  and  plenty  of  bed- 
clothes ;  for,  in  spite  of  the  warmth  of  the  climate,  whttn 


70  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TKAVEL. 

the  sun  is  not  above  the  horizon  the  negro  always  feels 
very  chilly.  I  am  assured  that  many  of  my  slaves  are 
very  rich  (and  their  property  is  inviolable,)  and  that  they 
are  never  without  salt  provisions,  porter,  and  even  wine, 
to  entertain  their  friends  and  their  visiters  from  the  bay 
or  the  mountains.  As  I  passed  through  their  grounds, 
many  little  requests  were  preferred  to  me ;  one  wanted 
an  additional  supply  of  lime  for  the  whitewashing  his 
house ;  another  was  building  a  new  house  for  a  superan- 
nuated wife  (for  they  all  have  so  much  decency  as  to  call 
their  sexual  attachments  by  a  conjugal  name,)  and  wanted 
a  little  assistance  towards  the  finishing  it ;  a  third  re- 
quested a  new  axe  to  work  with  ;  and  several  entreated 
me  to  negotiate  the  purchase  of  some  relation  or  friend 
belonging  to  another  estate,  and  with  whom  they  were 
anxious  to  be  re-united ;  but  all  their  requests  were  for 
additional  indulgences ;  not  one  complained  of  ill-treat- 
ment, hunger,  or  over-work. 

These  statements  are  very  ftilly  confirmed,  fifteen 
years  afterwards,  by  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Carmichael, 
whose  husband  was  a  planter  of  St.  Vincent's,  but  evi- 
dently in  a  much  poorer  way  as  to  pecuniary  means  than 
Mr.  Lewis.     She  says  : 

Every  field  negro  has  two  pounds  of  excellent  salt  fish 
served  out  weekly,  and  head  people  have  four  pounds. 
Au  pound  and  a  half  is  allow^ed  for  every  child,  from  the 
day  of  its  birth  until  twelve  years  of  age,  when  full  allow- 
ance is  given.  This  is  the  most  favorite  food  of  the  negro, 
and  they  prefer  it  to  salt  beef  or  pork,  a  small  piece  of 
which  they  relish  occasi  anally. 


MR.   LEWIS  IN  JAMAICA.  73 


The  fruit  trees  upon  an  estate  are,  by  common  consent, 
the  perquisite  of  the  negroes  belonging  to  it.  The  West 
Indians  island  differ  as  to  their  productivene'3S  in  fruit, 
bat,  generally  speaking,  there  is  a  great  variety  of  fruits. 
According  to  their  season  ;  and  upon  every  property  the 
negroes  make  a  considerable  sum  by  the  sale  of  the  fruit. 

There  is  not  one  slave  upon  an  estate  who  cannot  raise 
an  abundance  of  fruit,  roots,  and  vegetables — far  more 
than  he  can  use  for  his  own  consumption.  The  great 
majority  have  their  grounds  fully  stocked  ;  some,  how^ 
ever,  are  lazy,  and  will  not  work  their  grounds  to  the 
extent  they  might  do ;  while  runaways  do  not  work  at 
all,  either  for  •their  masters  or  themselves,  and  live  by 
plundering  the  provision-grounds  of  industrious  negroes. 
There  is  not  an  instance  of  a  negro  who  works  well  for 
his  owner,  who  has  not  his  provision-grounds  in  the  greatest 
order,  and  full  of  all  sorts  of  supplies,  both  for  himself 
and  the  market.  Every  individual  has  his  own  ground, 
and  every  mother  has  a  fixed  portion  more  for  each  child. 

There  are  few  estates  which  are  not  situated  in  the 
vicinity  of  some  river.  These  streams  abound  in  mullet, 
cray-fish — resembling  the  lobster — eels  and  mud  fish.  The 
negroes  are  not  prevented  from  having  the  full  benefit  of 
fishing ;  and  I  have  many  a  time  paid  a  slave  eighteen 
pence  for  fresh-water  fish,  which  he  had  canojht  and 
brought  to  town  during  the  two  hours  allotted  for  hia 
dinner.  I  once  asked  a  negro  who  brought  me  some 
mullet  in  this  way,  how  he  managed  to  liave  any  thing  to 
eat  and  catch  fish  also  ?  He  immediately  informed  me, 
''he  wife  cook  a  victual,  no  him  :"  at   the  same  time  ap- 

10 


74  THE  ROMANCB  OF  TK^VEL. 

pearing  asfcjnished  at  my  supposing  that  he  could  be  so 
silly  as  not  to  have  a  wife  to  cook  for  him. 

When  I  say  that  any  industrious  negro  may  save  J630 
sterling  yearly  with  ease,  I  really  mean  save  ;  for,  besides 
this,  he  will  purchase  all  those  little  articles  he  requires — 
candles,  soap,  now  and  then  salt  pork  and  beef,  &c.,  be- 
sides plenty  of  fine  dresses  for  himself,  his  wife  or  vdves, 
and  children ;  for  good  negroes  have  no  small  pride  in 
dressing  their  family,  as  they  call  it,  "  handsome/* 

The  good-natured  Lewis  made  it  his  business  to  con- 
verse freely  with  his  negroes,  and  nothing  can  be  more 
interesting  than  the  accounts  of  their  native  African  super« 
stitions,  which  he  jots  down  from  their  own  lips — his 
stories  of  their  duppy^  or  ghosts,  in  particular ;  but  we 
shall  stick  to  prosaic  realities.  Nay,  of  the  numberless 
highly  entertaining  stories  of  actual  life  in  Jamaica, 
introduced  in  the  course  of  his  volume,  we  shall  content 
ourselves  with  one  specimen — namely,  the  adventurous 
career  of  a  certain  (happily  so  called)  Plato,  a  runaway 
negro,  captain  of  a  troop  of  banditti,  established  among 
the  Moreland  mountains,  at  no  great  distance  from  the 
plantation  of  Cornwall : 

He  robbed  very  often,  and  murdered  occasionally ;  but 
gallantry  was  his  every  day  occupation.  Indeed,  being  a 
reraarkably  tall  athletic  young  fellow,  among  the  beauties 
of  his  own  complexion  he  found  but  few  Lucretias ;  and 
his  retreat  in  the  mountains  was  as  well  furnished  as  the 
harem  of  Constantinople.  Every  handsome  negress  who 
had  the  slightest  cause  of  complaint  against  her  master 
took  the  first  opportunity  of  eloping  to  join  Plato ^  where 


INTERIOR  OF  A  NEGRO  HUT. 


MR.  LEWIS  IN  JAMAICA.  7? 

she  found  freedom,  protection,  and  unbounded  generosity ; 
for  he  spared  no  pains  to  secure  their  affections  by  grati- 
fying their  vanity.  Indeed,  no  Creole  lady  could  venture 
out  on  a  visit,  without  running  the  risk  of  having  her 
bandbox  run  away  with  by  Plato  for  the  decoration  of  his 
sultanas ;  and  if  the  maid  who  carried  the  bandbox  hap- 
pened to  be  well-looking,  he  ran  away  with  the  maid  as 
well  OS  the  bandbox.  Every  endeavor  to  seize  this  des- 
perado was  long  in  vain  :  a  large  reward  was  put  upon  his 
head,  but  no  negro  dared  to  approach  him ;  for  besides 
his  acknowledged  courage,  he  was  a  professor  of  Obi,  and 
had  threatened  that  whoever  dared  to  lay  a  finger  upon 
him  should  suffer  spiritual  torments,  as  well  as  be  physi- 
cally shot  through  the  head. 

Unluckily  for  Plato,  rum  was  an  article  with  him  of  the 
first  necessity  ;  the  look-out,  which  was  kept  for  him,  was 
too  vigilant  to  admit  of  his  purchasing  spirituous  liquors 
for  himself;  and  once,  when  he  had  ventured  for  that 
purpose  into  the  neighborhood  of  Montego  Bay,  he  was 
recognized  by  a  slave,  who  immediately  gave  the  alarm. 
Unfortunately  for  this  poor  fellow,  whose  name  was  Taffy, 
at  that  moment  all  his  companions  happened  to  be  out  of 
hearing  ;  and,  after  the  first  moment's  alarm,  finding  that 
no  one  approached,  the  exasperated  robber  rushed  upon 
him,  and  lifted  the  bill-hook  with  which  he  was  armed, 
for  the  purpose  of  cleaving  his  skull.  Taffy  fled  for  it ; 
but  Plato  was  the  younger,  the  stronger,  and  the  swiftei 
of  the  two,  and  gained  upon  him  every  moment.  Taffy, 
however,  on  the  other  hand,  possessed  that  one  quality  by 
ffhioh,  acoording  to  the  fable,  the  cat  was  enabled  to  MTt 


7?  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

herself  ft  om  the  hounds,  when  the  fox,  with  his  thousand 
tricks,  was  caught  by  them.  He  was  an  admirable  climber, 
an  art  in  which  Plato  possessed  no  skill ;  and  a  bread-nut 
tree,  which  is  remarkably  difficult  of  ascent,  presenting 
itself  before  him,  in  a  few  moments  Taffy  was  bawling  foi 
help  from  the  very  top  of  it.  To  reach  him  was  impossible 
for  his  enemy  ;  but  still  his  destruction  was  hard  at  hand, 
for  Plato  began  to  hack  the  tree  with  his  bill,  and  it  was 
evident  that  a  very  short  space  of  time  would  be  sufficient 
to  level  it  with  the  ground.  In  this  dilemma,  Taffy  had 
nothing  for  it  but  to  break  off  the  branches  near  him  ;  and 
he  contrived  to  pelt  these  so  dexterously  at  the  head  of 
his  assailant,  that  he  fairly  kept  him  at  bay  till  his  cries 
at  length  reached  the  ears  of  his  companions,  and  their 
approach  compelled  the  banditti-captain  once  more  to  bcek 
safety  among  the  mountains. 

After  this  Plato  no  longer  dared  to  approach  Montego 
town  ;  but  still  spirits  must  be  had  : — how  was  he  to  obtain 
them  ?  There  was  an  old  watchman  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  estate  of  Canaan,  with  whom  he  had  contracted  an  ac 
quaintance,  and  frequently  had  passed  the  night  in  his 
hut ;  the  old  man  having  been  equally  induced  by  his  pre- 
sents and  by  dread  of  his  corporeal  strength  and  supposed 
3ai)ernatural  power,  to  profess  the  warmest  attachment  to 
the  interests  of  his  terrible  friend.  To  this  man  Plato  at 
leagth  resolved  to  intrust  himself:  he  gave  him  money  to 
purchase  spirits,  and  appointed  a  particular  day  when  he 
would  come  to  receive  them.  The  reward  placed  upon  the 
rubber's  head  was  more  than  either  gratitude  or  terror 
could  counterbalance;  and   on  the   same   day  when   the 


PLATO,  THB  ROBBBft. 


MR.  LEWIS  IN  JAMAICA.  81 

watchman  set  out  to  purchase  the  rum,  he  apprized  twc 
of  his  friends  at  Canaan  for  whose  use  it  was  intended, 
and  advised  them  to  take  the  opportunity  of  obtaining  the 
reward. 

The  two  negroes  posted  themselves  in  proper  time  near 
ie  watchman's  hut.  Most  unwisely,  instead  of  sending 
down  some  of  his  gang,  they  saw  Plato,  in  his  full  confi- 
dence in  the  friendship  of  his  confidant,  arrive  himself 
and  enter  the  cabin ;  but  so  great  was  their  alarm  at  seeing 
this  dreadful  personage,  that  they  remained  in  their  con- 
cealment, nor  dared  to  make  an  attempt  at  seizing  him. 
The  spirits  were  delivered  to  the  robber ;  he  might  have 
retired  with  them  unmolested;  but,  in  his  rashness  and 
his  eagerness  to  taste  the  liquor,  of  which  he  had  so  long 
been  deprived,  he  opened  the  flagon,  and  swallowed 
draught  after  draught,  till  he  sunk  on  the  ground  in  a  state 
of  complete  insensibility.  The  watchman  then  summoned 
the  two  negroes  from  their  concealment,  who  bound  his 
arms,  and  conveyed  him  to  Montego  Bay,  where  he  was 
immediately  sentenced  to  execution.  He  died  most  he- 
roically ;  kept  up  the  terrors  of  his  imposture  to  his  last 
moment ;  told  the  magistrates  who  condemned  him  that 
his  death  should  be  revenged  by  a  storm,  which  would  lay 
waste  the  whole  island,  that  year ;  and,  when  his  negro 
goaler  was  binding  him  to  the  stake  at  which  he  was  des- 
tined to^suffer,  he  assured  him  that  he  should  not  live  long 
to  triumph  in  his  death,  for  that  he  had  taken  good  care 
to  Obeah  him  before  his  quitting  the  prison.  It  certainly 
did  happen,  strangely  enough,  that,  before  the  year  was 
over,  the  most  violent  storm  took  place  in  Jamaica ;  and 


82 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 


as  to  the  gaoler,  his  imagination  was  so  forcibly  sti  uck  bj 
the  threats  of  the  dying  man,  that,  although  every  care 
was  taken  of  him,  the  power  of  medicine  exhausted,  and 
even  a  voyage  to  America  undertaken,  in  hopes  that  a 
change  of  scene  might  change  the  course  of  his  ideas,  still, 
from  the  moment  of  Plato's  death,  he  gradually  pined  and 
withered  away,  and  finally  expired  before  the  completion 
of  the  twelvemonth. 


"illilii?: 


^(»)cISeKjf3  OK)  a  bojj^ge  of  Q^pi^l^  Jf^ll. 

Among  the  "  enjoyments  ahead,"  fishing,  after  his  own 
fashion,  fills  no  inconsiderable  space  in  the  imagination 
of  the  traveller.  Captain  Basil  Hall  describes  scenes  of 
this  sort  with  hardly  less  (^usto  than  the  chase  of  his  little 
French  privateer  in  the  Irish  Channel.     He  says, 

Perhaps  there  is  not  any  more  characteristic  evideno* 

(86) 


86  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

of  our  being  within  the  tropical  regions— one,  1  mean, 
^hich  strikes  the  imagination  more  forcibly — than  the 
company  of  those  picturesque  little  animals,  the  flying- 
fish.  It  is  true,  that  a  stray  one  or  two  may  sometimes 
be  seen  far  north,  making  a  few  short  skips  out  of  the 
water ;  and  I  even  remember  seeing  several  close  to  the 
edge  of  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  in  latitude  forty-five 
degrees.  These,  however,  had  been  swept  out  of  their 
natural  position  by  the  huge  gulf-stream,  an  ocean  in 
itself,  which  retains  much  of  its  temperature  far  into  the 
northern  regions,  and  possibly  helps  to  modify  the  climate 
over  the  Atlantic.  But  it  is  not  until  the  voyager  has 
fairly  reached  the  heart  of  the  torrid  zone  that  he  sees 
the  flying-fish  in  perfection.  No  familiarity  with  the  sight 
can  ever  render  us  indifferent  to  the  graceful  flight  of 
these  most  interesting  of  the  finny,  or,  rather,  winged 
tribe.  On  the  contrary,  like  a  bright  day,  or  a  smiling 
countenance,  or  good  company  of  any  kind,  the  more  we 
see  of  them,  the  more  we  learn  to  value  their  presence. 
I  have,  indeed,  hardly  ever  observed  a  person  so  dull,  or 
unimaginative,  that  his  eye  did  not  glisten  as  he  watched 
a  shr  h'  or,  it  may  well  be  called,  a  covey  of  flying-fish 
rise  from  the  sea,  and  skim  along  for  several  hundred 
yards.  There  is  something  in  it  so  very  peculiar,  so  to- 
tally dissimilar  to  every  thing  else  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  that  our  wonder  goes  on  increasing  every  time  we 
see  even  a  single  one  take  its  flight.  The  incredulity, 
indeed,  of  the  old  Scotch  wife  on  this  head  is  sufiiciently 
excusable.  "You  may  hae  seen  rivers  o'  milk,  and 
mountains  o'  sugar,*-  said  she  to  her  son,  returned  from  a 


INCIDENTS  ON  A  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  HALL.     8l 

Toyage ;  "  but  you'll  ne'er  gar  me  believe  you  hae  seen  a 
fish  that  could  flee." 

The  pleasant  trade  which  had  wafted  us,  with  diflferent 
degrees  of  velocity,  over  a  distance  of  more  than  a  thou- 
sand miles,  at  last  gradually  failed.  The  first  symptom 
of  the  approaching  calm  was  the  sails  beginning  to  flap 
gently  against  the  masts — so  gently,  indeed,  that  we  half 
hoped  it  was  caused,  not  so  much  by  the  diminished  force 
of  the  breeze,  with  which  we  were  very  unwilling  to  part, 
as  by  that  long  and  peculiar  swell  which, 

"  In  the  torrid  clime 
Dark  heaving," 

has  found  the  hand  of  a  master-artist  to  embody  it  in  a  de- 
scription more  technically  correct,  and  certainly  far  more 
graphic  in  all  its  parts,  than  if  the  picture  had  been  filled 
up  from  the  log-books  of  ten  thousand  voyagers.  The 
same  noble  writer,  by  merely  letting  his  imagination  run 
wild  a  little,  has  also  given  a  sketch  of  what  might  take 
place  were  one  of  these  calms  to  be  perpetual ;  and  so 
true  to  nature  is  all  his  pencilling,  that  many  a  time, 
^hen  day  after  day  has  passed  without  a  breath  of  wind, 
and  there  came  no  prospect  of  any  breeze,  I  have  recol- 
lected the  following  strange  lines,  and  almost  fancied  that 
Buch  might  be  our  own  dismal  fate : 

"  The  rivers,  lakes,  and  ocean,  all  stood  still. 
And  nothing  stirred  within  their  silent  depths ; 
Ships  sailorless  lay  rotting  on  the  sea, 
And  their  masts  fell  down  piecemeal ;  as  they  dropjed, 


88  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

They  slept  on  the  abyss  without  a  surge. 
The  waves  were  dead ;  the  tides  were  in  their  grave ; 
The  moon,  their  mistress,  had  expired  before ; 
The  winds  were  withered  in  the  stagnant  air, 
And  the  clouds  perished." 

In  vain  we  looked  round  and  round  the  horizon  for  some 
traces  of  a  return  of  our  old  friend  the  trade,  but  could 
distinguish  nothing  save  one  polished,  dark-heaving  sheet 
of  glass,  reflecting  the  unbroken  disk  of  the  sun,  and  the 
bright,  clear  sky.  The  useless  helm  was  lashed  amid- 
ships, the  yards  were  lowered  on  the  cap,  and  the  boats 
were  dropped  into  the  water  to  fill  up  the  cracks  and 
rents  caused  by  the  fierce  heat.  A  listless  feeling  stole 
over  us,  and  we  lay  about  the  decks  gasping  for  breath, 
in  vain  seeking*for  some  alleviation  to  our  thirst  by  drink, 
drink,  drink  I  Alas,  the  transient  indulgence  only  made 
the  matter  worse. 

A  heavy  squall  succeeded  this  calm,  then  a  dead  calm 
again,  in  which  the  difiiculty  of  keeping  company  at  sea, 
when  the  helm  is  useless,  without  sad  accidents  from  the 
collision  of  ships,  was  strikingly  exemplified.  At  length 
a  light  air  pump  sprung  up  in  a  distant  quarter,  and  the 
story  thus  proceeds : 

While  we  were  stealing  along  under  the  genial  influence 
of  this  new-found  air,  which  as  yet  was  confined  to  the 
upper  sails,  and  every  one  was  looking  open-mouthed  to 
the  eastward  to  catch  a  gulp  of  cool  air,  about  a  dozen  flying- 
fish  rose  out  of  the  water,  just  under  the  fore-chains,  and 
skimmed  away  to  windward  at  the  height  of  ten  or  twclv6 
feet  above  the  surface. 


12 


INOIDBNTS  ON  A  VOYAG£  OF  CAPTAIN  HALL.  91 


THE  DOLPHIN. 

A  large  dolphin,  which  had  been  keeping  company  with 
as  abreast  of  the  weather  gangway,  at  the  depth  of  two 
or  three  fathoms,  and,  as  usual,  glistening  most  beautifully 
in  the  sun,  no  sooner  detected  our  poor  dear  little  friends 
take  wing,  than  he  turned  his  head  towards  them,  and, 
darting  to  the  surface,  leaped  from  the  water  with  a  velo- 
city little  short,  as  it  seemed,  of  a  cannon  ball.  But  al- 
though the  impetus  with  which  he  shot  himself  into  the 
air  gave  him  an  initial  velocity  greatly  exceeding  that  of 
the  flying-fish,  the  start  which  the  fated  prey  had  got  en- 
abled them  to  keep  ahead  of  him  for  a  considerable  time 
The  length  of  the  dolphin's  first  spring  could  not  be  less 
than  ten  yards  ;  and  after  he  fell  we  could  see  him  gliding 
like  lightning  through  the  water  for  a  moment,  when  he 
again  rose  and  shot  forwards  with  considerably  greater 
vel^^dty  than  at  first,  and,  of  course,  to  a  still  greater 
distance.  In  this  manner  the  merciless  pursuer  seemed 
to  stride  along  the  sea  with  fearful  rapidity,  while  his  bril- 
liant coat  sparkled  and  flashed  in  the  sun  quite  splendidly. 
As  he  fell  headlong  on  the  water  at  the  end  of  each  huge 
leap,  a  series  of  circles  were  sent  far  over  the  still  surface, 
which  lay  as  smooth  as  a  mirror ;  for  the  breeze,  although 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 


TiJK  ]•  LYING-FISH. 

enough  to  set  the  royals  and  top-gallant  studding  sails 
asleep,  was  hardly  as  yet  felt  below.  The  group  of 
wretched  flying-fish,  thus  hotly  pursued,  at  length  dropped 
into  the  sea ;  but  we  were  rejoiced  to  observe  that  they 
merely  touched  the  top  of  the  swell,  and  scarce  sunk  in 
it, — at  least  they  instantly  set  off  again  in  a  fresh  and 
more  vigorous  flight.  It  was  particularly  interesting  to 
observe  that  the  direction  they  now  took  was  quite  diflfereiit 
from  the  one  in  which  they  had  set  out,  implying  but  too 
obviously  that  they  had  detected  their  fierce  enemy,  vvli  j 
was  following  them  with  giant  steps  along  the  waves,  and 
now  gaining  rapidly  upon  them.  His  terrific  pace,  in- 
deed, was  two  or  three  times  as  swift  as  theirs — poor  little 
things !  and  whenever  they  varied  their  flight  in  the 
smallest  degree,  he  lost  not  the  tenth  part  of  a  second  in 
shaping  a  new  course,  so  as  to  cut  ofi*  the  chase,  v/hile 
they,  in  a  manner  really  not  unlike  that  of  the  hare, 
doubled  more  than  once  upon  their  pursuer.  But  it  was 
soon  too  plainly  to  be  seen  that  their  strength  and  con- 
fidence were  fast  ebbing.  Their  flights  became  shorter 
and  shorter,  and  their  course  more  fluttering  and  uncei'- 
tani,  while  the  enormous  leaps  of  the  dolphin  appeared 


o 

> 

o 
*^ 

"^ 
o 
td 

^^ 

o 


INCIDENTS  ON  A  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  HALL.  05 

to  grow  more  vigorous  at  each  bound.  Eventually,  in- 
deed, we  could  see,  or  fancied  we  could  see,  that  tbia 
skilful  sea-sportsman  arranged  all  his  springs  with  sucit 
an  assurance  of  success,  that  he  contrived  to  fall  at  th%. 
end  of  each,  just  under  the  very  spot  on  which  the  ex 
hausted  flying-fish  were  about  to  drop  !  Sometimes  this 
catastrophe  took  place  at  too  great  a  distance  for  us  to  see 
from  the  deck  exactly  what  happened ;  but  on  our  mount- 
ing high  in  the  rigging,  we  may  be  said  to  have  been  in 
at  the  death ;  for  then  we  could  discover  that  the  unfor- 
tunate little  creatures,  one  after  another,  either  popped 
right  into  the  dolphin's  jaws  as  they  lighted  on  the  water, 
or  were  snapped  up  instantly  afterwards.  It  was  impos- 
sible not  to  take  an  active  part  with  our  pretty  little  friends 
of  the  weaker  side,  and  accordingly  we  very  speedily  had 
our  revenge.  The  middies  and  the  sailors,  delighted  with 
the  chance,  rigged  out  a  dozen  or  twenty  lines  from  the 
jib-boom-end  and  sprit-sail  yard-arms,  with  hooks  baited 
merely  with  bits  of  tin,  the  glitter  of  which  resembles  so 
much  that  of  the  body  and  wings  of  the  flying-fish,  that 
many  a  proud  dolphin,  making  sure  of  a  delicious  morsel, 
leaped  in  rapture  at  the  deceitful  prize. 

It  may  be  well  to  mention,  that  the  dolphin  of  sailors  i^ 
not  the  fish  so  called  by  the  ancient  poets.  Ours,  which 
I  learn  from  the  Encyclopaedia,  is  the  Coryphaena  hippurus 
of  naturalists,  is  totally  different  from  their  Delphinus 
phocaena,  termed  by  us  the  porpoise.  How  these  names 
have  shifted  places  I  know  not,  but  there  seems  little 
doubt  that  the  ancient  dolphin  of  the  poets,  I  mean  that 
on  the  back  of  which  Dan  Arion  took  a  passage  when  h« 


96  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 


THE  PORPOISE. 

was  tossed  overboard,  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  .u/ 
porpoise.  For  the  rest,  he  is  a  very  poetical  and  pleasing 
fish  to  look  at.  affords  excellent  sport  in  catching,  and, 
when  properly  dressed,  is  really  not  bad  eating. 

This  leads  the  captain  to  treat  at  some  length  of  the 
classical  dolphin. 

When  the  shoal  of  porpoises  is  numerous,  half  the  ship's 
company  are  generally  clustered  about  the  bowsprit,  the 
head,  and  any  other  spot  commanding  a  good  view  of  the 
sport.  When  a  mid,  I  have  often  perched  myself  like  a 
sea-bird  at  the  fore-yard-arm,  or  nestled  into  the  fore-top- 
mast staysail  netting,  till  I  saw  the  harpoon  cast  with 
effect  by  some  older  and  stronger  arm.  A  piece  of  small 
but  stout  line,  called,  I  think,  the  foreganger,  is  spliced 
securely  to  the  shank  of  the  harpoon.  To  the  end  of  this 
line  is  attached  any  small  rope  that  lies  handiest  on  the 
forecastle,  probably  the  top-gallant  clew-line,  or  the  jib 
down-haul.  The  rope,  before  being  made  fast  to  the  fore- 
ganger,  is  rove  through  a  block  attached  to  some  part  of. 
the  bowsprit,  or  to  the  foremost  swifter  of  the  fore-rigging ; 
and  a  gang  of  hands  are  always  ready  to  take  hold  of  the 


INCIDENTS  0.\   A   VOYAGE  OE  CAPTAIN  HALL.  97 

end,  and  run  the  fish  right  out  of  the  water  when  pierced 
by  the  iron. 

The  strength  of  the  porpoise  must  be  very  great,  for  I 
have  seen  him  twist  a  whale  harpoon  several  times  rounrl. 
and  eventually  tear  himself  off  by  main  force.  On  thie 
account,  it  is  of  consequence  to  get  the  floundering  gen- 
tleman on  board  with  the  least  possible  delay  after  the 
fish  is  struck.  Accordingly,  the  harpooner,  the  instant 
he  las  made  a  good  hit,  bawls  out,  ^'  haul  away  !  haul 
away  !"  upon  which  the  men  stationed  at  the  line  run 
away  with  it,  and  the  struggling  wretch  is  raised  high  in 
the  air,  as  if  still  in  the  act  of  performing  one  of  his  own 
gambols.  Two  or  three  of  the  Fjmartest  hands  have  in 
the  meantime  prepared  what  is  called  a  running  bowline 
knot,  or  noose,  which  is  placed  by  hand  round  the  body 
of  the  porpoise,  or  it  may  be  cast,  like  the  South  Ameri- 
can lasso,  over  its  tail,  and  then,  but  not  till  then,  can  the 
capture  be  considered  quite  secure.  I  have  seen  many  a 
gallant  prize  of  this  kind  fairly  transfixed  with  the  har- 
poon, and  rattled  like  a  shot  up  to  the  block,  where  it  was 
hailed  by  the  shouts  of  the  victors  as  the  source  of  a  cer- 
tain feast,  and  yet  lost  after  all,  either  by  the  line  break- 
ing, or  the  dart  coming  out  during  the  vehement  struggling 
of  the  fish.  I  remember  once  seeing  a  porpoise  acciden- 
tally struck  by  a  minor  description  of  fish-spear  called  a 
grains,  a  weapon  quite  inadequate  for  such  a  service.  The 
cord  by  which  it  was  held  being  much  too  weak,  soon 
broke,  and  off  dashed  the  wounded  fish,  right  in  the  wind's 
•ye,  at  a  prodigious  rate,  with  the  staff  erected  on  its  back, 
Hke  a  signal-post.     The  poor  wretch  was  instantly  accom- 

18 


98  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

panied  or  pursued  by  myriads  of  his  own  species,  whose 
instinct,  it  is  said,  teaches  them  to  follow  any  track  of. 
blood,  and  even  to  follow  their  unfortunate  fellow  fish.  J 
rather  doubt  the  fact  of  their  cannibalism,  but  am  certain 
that,  whenever  a  porpoise  is  struck  and  escapes,  he  is  fol- 
lowed by  all  the  others,  and  the  ship  is  deserted  by  the 
shoal  in  a  few  seconds.  In  the  instance  just  mentionedj 
the  grains  with  which  the  porpoise  was  struck  had  been 
got  ready  for  spearing  a  dolphin ;  but  the  man  in  whose 
hands  it  happened  to  be,  not  being  an  experienced  har- 
pooner,  could  not  resist  the  opportunity  of  darting  his 
weapon  into  the  first  fish  that  oflfered  a  fair  mark. 

It  happened  in  a  ship  I  commanded,  that  a  porpoise 
was  struck  about  half-an-hour  before  the  cabin  dinner ; 
and  I  gave  directions,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  my  steward 
to  dress  a  dish  of  steaks,  cut  well  clear  of  the  thick  coat- 
ing of  blubber.  It  so  chanced,  that  none  of  the  crew  had 
every  before  seen  a  fish  of  this  kind  taken,  and  in  conse- 
quence there  arose  doubts  among  them  whether  it  was 
good  or  even  safe  eating.  The  word,  however,  being  soon 
passed  along  the  decks,  that  orders  had  been  given  for 
some  slices  of  the  porpoise  to  be  cooked  for  the  captain's 
table,  a  deputation  forward  was  appointed  to  proceed  as 
near  to  the  captain's  door  as  the  etiquette  of  the  service 
allowed,  in  order  to  establish  the  important  fact  of  the 
porpoise  being  eatable.  The  dish  was  carried  in,  its  con- 
tents speedily  discussed,  and  a  fresh  supply  having  been 
Bent  for,  the  steward  was,  of  course,  intercepted  in  his  way 
to  the  cook.  "  I  say,  Capewell,"  cried  one  of  the  hungry 
delegates,  "  did  the  captain  really  eat  any  of  the  porpoise  ?" 


INCIDlixNZS  0^'  A  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAl.>r  HALL. 


SAILURS  AT  DINNER. 


•j;ii 


it ;  "  excialmed  the  steward,  ''  look  at  that !"  at  tho 
same  time  lifting  off  the  cover,  and  showing  a  dish  as  well 
cleared  as  if  it  had  previously  been  freighted  with  veal 
catlets,  and  was  now  on  its  return  from  the  midshipman's 
berth.  "  Oh  !  ho  !"  sung  out  Jack,  running  back  to  the 
fore  castle  ;  ''  if  the  skipper  eats  porpoise,  I  don't  see  why 
we  should  be  so  nice,  so  here  goes!"  Then  pulling  away 
the  great  clasp-knife  which  always  hangs  by  a  cord  round 
the  neck  of  a  seaman,  he  plunges  it  into  the  sides  of  the 
fish,  and  after  separating  the  outside  rind  of  blubber,  do- 
ts ched  half-a-dozen  pounds  of  the  red  meat,  which,  in  tex- 
ture and  taste,  and  in  the  heat  of  its  blood,  resembles 
beef,  though  very  coarse.  His  example  was  so  speedily 
followed  by  the  rest  of  the  ship's  company,  that  when  I 
walked  forward,  after  dinner,  in  company  with  the  doctor. 


lOO  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

to  take  the  post  mortem  view  of  the  porpoise  more  criti 
cally  than  before,  we  found  the  whole  had  been  broiled 
and  eaten  within  half-an-hour  after  I  had  unconsciously 
given,  by  my  example,  an  official  sanction  to  the  feast." 

But  the  fox-chase  of  the  sea — the  sport  of  sports — is 
furnished  by  Jack's  hereditary  enemy,  the  shark. 

The  lunarian,  busy  taking  distances,  crams  his  sextant 
hastily  into  his  case ;  the  computer  working  out  his  lon- 
gitude, shoves  his  books  on  one  side ;  the  marine  officer 
abandons  his  eternal  flute  ;  the  doctor  starts  from  his  nap  ; 
the  purser  resigns  the  Complete  Book ;  and  every  man 
and  boy,  however  engaged,  rushes  on  deck  to  s^tj  ihe  vil- 
lain die.  Even  the  monkey,  if  there  be  one  on  board, 
takes  a  vehement  interest  in  the  whole  progress  of  this 
wild  scene.  I  remember  once  observing  Jacko  running 
backwards  and  forwards  along  the  afterpart  of  the  poop 
hammock-netting,  grinning,  screaming,  and  chattering  at 
such  a  rate,  that,  as  it  was  nearly  calm,  he  was  heard  all 
over  the  decks.  ''  What's  the  matter  with  you.  Master 
Mona?''  said  the  quarter-master;  for  the  animal  came 
from  Teneriffe,  and  preserved  his  Spanish  cognomen. 
Jacko  replied  not,  but  merely  stretching  his  head  over  the 
railing,  stared  with  his  eyes  almost  bursting  from  his  head, 
and  by  the  intensity  of  his  grin  bared  his  teeth  and  gums 
nearly  from  ear  to  ear.  ''  Messenger  !  run  to  the  cook 
for  a  piece  of  pork,"  cries  the  captain,  taking  command 
with  as  much  glee  as  if  it  had  been  an  enemy's  cruiser  he 
was  about  to  engage.  "  Where's  your  hook,  quarter- 
master?" "Here,  sir,  here!"  cries  the  fellow,  feeling 
the  point,  ft-nd  declaring  it  as  sharp  as  any  lady's  needle, 


INCIDENTS  ON  A  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  HALL.    103 


MONA  MONKBT. 

and  in  the  next  instant  piercing  with  it  a  huge  junk  of 
rusty  pork,  weighing  four  or  five  pounds ;  for  nothing, 
scarcely,  is  too  large  or  too  high  in  flavor  for  the  stomach 
of  a  shark.  The  hook,  which  is  as  thick  as  one's  little 
finger,  has  a  curvature  about  as  large  as  that  of  a  man's 
hand  when  half  closed,  and  and  is  from  six  to  eight  in- 
ches in  length,  with  a  formidable  barb.  This  fierce-look- 
ing grappling-iron  is  furnished  with  three  or  four  feet  of 
chain,  a  precaution  which  is  absolutely  necessary ;  for  a 
voracious  shark  will  sometimes  gobble  the  bait  so  deep 
into  his  stomach,  that  but  for  the  chain  he  would  snap 
through  the  rope  by  which  the  hook  is  held,  as  easily  as 
if  he  were  nipping  the  head  off  an  asparagus. 

A  shark,  like  a  midshipman,  is  generally  very  hungry ; 
but  in  rare  cases  when  he  is  not  in  good  appetite,  he  sails 
slowly  up  to  the  bait,  smells  to  it,  and  gives  it  a  poke  with 
his  shovel- nose,  turning  it  over  and  over.     He  thii^n  edges 


104  THE  ROMANCK  OF  TRAVEL. 

off  to  the  right  or  left,  as  if  he  apprehended  mischief,  but 
Boon  returns  again,  to  enjoy  the  delicious  haut  goid,  as 
the  sailors  term  the  flavor  of  the  damaged  pork,  of  which 
a  piece  is  always  selected,  if  it  can  be  found.  While  this 
coquetry,  or  shyness,  is  exhibited  by  John  Shark,  the 
whole  after  part  of  the  ship  is  so  clustered  with  heads, 
that  not  an  inch  of  spare  room  is  to  be  had  for  love  or 
money.  The  rigging,  the  mizen-top,  and  even  the  gaff, 
out  to  the  very  peak ;  the  hammock-nettings  and  the 
quarters,  almost  down  to  the  counter,  are  stuck  over  with 
breathless  spectators,  speaking  in  whispers,  if  they  ven- 
ture to  speak  at  all,  or  can  find  leisure  for  any  thing  but 
fixing  their  gaze  on  the  monster,  who  as  yet  is  free  to 
roam  the  ocean,  but  who,  they  trust,  will  soon  be  in  their 
power.  I  have  seen  this  go  on  for  an  hour  together ; 
after  which  the  shark  has  made  up  his  mind  to  have  no- 
thing to  say  to  us,  and  either  swerved  away  to  windward, 
if  there  be  any  breeze  at  all,  or  diving  so  deep  that  his 
place  could  be  detected  only  by  a  faint  touch  or  flash  of 
white  many  fathoms  down.  The  loss  of  a  Spanish  galleon, 
in  chase,  I  am  persuaded,  could  hardly  cause  more  bitter 
regret,  or  call  forth  more  intemperate  expressions  of 
anger  and  impatience.  On  the  other  hand,  I  suppose  the 
first  symptom  of  an  enemy's  flag  coming  down  in  the 
fight  was  never  hailed  with  greater  joy  than  is  felt  by  a 
ship's  crew  on  the  shark  turning  round  to  seize  the  bait. 
A  greedy  whisper  of  delight  passes  from  mouth  to  mouth, 
every  eye  is  lighted  up,  and  such  as  have  not  bronzed 
their  cheeks  by  too  long  exposure  to  sun  an  1  wind,  may 
be  seen  to  alter  their  hue  from  pale  to  red,  and  back  U 


INCIDENTS  ON  A  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  HALL  1<  ^ 


THE  FOX  SHARK. 

pt.le  again,  like  the  tints  of  the  dying  dolphin  struggling 
in  the  water. 

When  a  bait  is  towed  astern  of  a  ship  that  has  any  mo- 
tion through  the  water  at  all,  it  is  necessarily  brought  to 
the  surface,  or  nearly  so.  This  of  -course  obliges  the 
shark  to  bite  at  it  from  below  ;  and  as  his  mouth  is  placed 
under  his  chin,  not  over  it,  like  that  of  a  Christian,  he 
must  turn  nearly  on  his  back  before  he  can  seize  the 
floating  piece  of  meat  in  which  the  hook  is  concealod. 
Even  if  he  does  not  turn  completely  round,  he  is  force  1 
to  slue  himself,  as  it  is  called,  so  far  as  to  show  some  por- 
tion of  his  white  belly.  The  instant  tlie  white  skin  flashes 
on  the  sight  of  the  expectant  crew,  a  subdaed  cry,  er 
murmur  of  satisfaction,  is  heard  amongst  the  crowd  :  hut 
no  one  speaks,  for  fear  of  alarming  the  shark  and  driving 
it  off. 

Sometimes,  at  the  very  instant  the  bait  is  cast  ever  the 
stern,  the  shark  flies  at  it  with  such  eagerness,  that  he 
actually  springs  partially  out  of  the  water.  This,  hoAvcvcr, 
is  rare.  On  these  occasions  he  gorges  the  bait,  the  hook^ 
and  a  foot  or   two   of  the  chain,  without  any  mastication 

or  delay,  and  darts   off  with  his   treacherous   prize  with 

14 


106  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

such  prodigious  velocity  and  force,  that  it  makes  the  rope 
crack  again  as  soon  as  the  whole  coil  is  drawn  out.  In 
general,  however,  he  goes  more  leisurely  to  work,  and 
seems  rather  to  suck  in  the  bait  than  to  bite  at  it.  Bluch 
dexterity  is  required  in  the  hand  which  holds  the  line  ?it 
tliis  moment ;  for  a  bungler  is  apt  to  be  too  precipitate, 
and  to  jerk  away  the  hook  before  it  has  got  far  enough 
down  the  shark's  maw.  Our  greedy  friend,  indeed,  ia 
never  disposed  to  relinquish  what  may  once  have  passed 
his  formidable  batteries  of  teeth  ;  but  the  hook,  by  a  pre- 
mature  tug  of  the  line,  may  fix  itself  in  a  part  of  the  jaw 
so  weak,  that  it  gives  way  in  the  violent  struggle  which 
follows.  The  secret  of  the  sport  is,  to  let  the  voracious 
monster  gulp  down  the  huge  mess  of  pork,  and  then  to 
give  the  rope  a  violent  pull,  by  which  the  barbed  point, 
quitting  the  edge  of  tne  bait,  buries  itself  in  the  coats  of 
the  victim's  throat  or  stomach.  As  the  shark  is  not  a 
personage  to  submit  patiently  to  such  treatment,  it  will 
not  be  well  for  any  one  whose  foot  happens  to  be  acci- 
dentally on  the  coil  of  the  rope,  for,  when  the  hook  is  first 
fixed,  it  spins  out  like  the  log-line  of  a  ship  going  twelve 
knots. 

The  suddenness  of  the  jerk  with  which  the  poor  devil  ia 
brought  up,  when  he  has  reached  the  length  of  his  tether, 
often  turns  him  quite  over  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Then  commence  the  loud  cheers,  taunts,  and  other  sounds 
of  rage  and  triumph,  so  long  suppressed.  A  steady  pull 
IS  insufficient  to  carry  away  the  line,  but  it  sometimes 
happens  that  the  violent  struggles  of  the  shark,  when  too 
speedily  drawn  up,  snaps  either  the  rope  or  the  hook,  and 


IKOIDBNTS  ON  A  VOTAQE  OF  CAPTAIN  HALL.         107 


THE  HAMMER-HEADED  SHARK. 

fio  he  gets  off,  to  digest  the  remainder  as  he  best  can.  It 
IS,  accordingly,  held  the  best  practice  to  play  him  a  little, 
with  his  mouth  at  the  surface,  till  he  becomes  somewhat 
exhausted.  During  this  operation,  one  could  almost 
fancy  the  enraged  animal  is  conscious  of  the  abuse  which 
is  flung  down  upon  him ;  for,  as  he  turns  and  twists  and 
flings  himself  about,  his  eye  glares  upwards  with  a  ferocity 
of  purpose  which  makes  the  blood  tingle  in  a  swimmer's 
reins,  as  he  thinks  of  the  hour  when  it  may  be  his  turn  to 
writhe  under  the  tender  mercies  of  his  sworn  foe  !  No 
sailor,  therefore,  ought  ever  to  think  of  hauling  a  shark 
on  board  merely  by  the  rope  fastened  to  the  hook ;  for, 
however  impotent  struggles  may  generally  be  in  the  water, 
they  are  rarely  unattended  with  risk  when  the  rogue  is 
drawn  half  way  up.  To  prevent  the  line  breaking  or  the 
hook  snapping,  or  the  jaw  being  torn  away,  the  device  of 


108  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

a  running  bow-line  knot,  is  always  adopted.  This  noose^ 
being  slipped  down  the  rope  and  passed  over  the  monster's 
head,  is  made  to  jam  at  the  point  of  junction  of  the  tai] 
with  the  body.  When  this  is  once  fixed,  the  first  act  of 
the  piece  is  held  to  be  complete,  and  the  vanquished  enemy 
is  afterwards  easily  drawn  over  the  taffrail  and  flung  on 
the  deck,  to  the  unspeakable  delight  of  all  hands.  But 
although  the  shark  is  out  of  his  element,  he  has  by  no 
means  lost  his  power  of  doing  mischief;  and  I  would  ad- 
vise no  one  to  come  within  range  of  the  tail,  or  trust  his 
toes  too  near  the  animal's  mouth.  The  blow  of  a  tolerably 
large  sized  shark's  tail  might  break  a  man's  leg  ;  and  I 
have  seen  a  three-inch  hide  tiller-rope  bitten  more  than 
half  through,  full  ten  minutes  after  the  wretch  had  been 
dragged  about  the  quarter-deck,  and  had  made  all  his 
victors  keep  at  a  most  respectful  distance.  I  remember 
hearing  the  late  Dr.  WoUaston,  with  his  wonted  ingenuity, 
suggest  a  method  for  measuring  the  strength  of  a  shark's 
bite.  If  a  smooth  plate  of  lead,  he  thought,  were  thrust 
into  the  fish's  mouth,  the  depth  which  his  teeth  should 
pierce  the  lead  would  furnish  a  sort  of  scale  of  the  force 
exerted. 

I  need  scarcely  mention,  that  when  a  shark  is  flounder- 
ing about,  the  quarter-deck  becomes  a  scene  of  pretty 
considerable  confusion ;  and  if  there  be  blood  on  the  occa- 
sion, as  there  generally  is,  from  all  this  rough  usage,  the 
stains  are  not  to  be  got  rid  of  without  a  week's  scrubbing, 
and  many  a  growl  from  the  captain  of  the  afterguard. 
For  the  time,  however,  such  considerations  are  superseded, 
that  is  to  say,  if  the  commander  himself  takes  an  interest 


INCIDENTS  ON  A  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  HALL.    109 

in  the  sport,  and  he  must  be  rather  a  spoony  skipper  that 
does  not.  If  he  be  indifferent  about  the  fate  of  the  shark, 
it  is  speedily  dragged  forward  to  the  fore-castle,  amidst 
the  kicks,  thumps,  and  execrations  of  the  conquerors,  who 
very  soon  terminate  his  miserable  career  by  stabbing  him 
with  their  knives,  boarding  pikes,  and  tomahawks,  like  so 
many  wild  Indians. 

The  first  operation  is  always  to  deprive  him  of  his  tail, 
which  is  seldom  an  easy  matter,  it  not  being  at  all  safe  to 
come  too  near ;  but  some  dexterous  hand,  familiar  with 
the  use  of  the  broad-axe,  watches  for  a  quiet  moment,  and 
at  a  single  blow  severs  it  from  the  body.  He  is  then 
closed  with  by  another,  who  leaps  across  the  prostrate  foe, 
and  with  an  adroit  cut  rips  him  open  from  snout  to  tail, 
and  the  tragedy  is  over,  so  far  as  the  struggles  and  suf- 
ferings of  the  principal  actor  are  concerned.  There  always 
follows,  however,  the  most  lively  curiosity  on  the  part  of 
the  sailors  to  learn  what  the  shark  has  got  stowed  away 
in  his  inside ;  but  they  are  often  disappointed,  for  the 
stomach  is  generally  empty.  I  remember  one  famous  ex- 
ception, indeed,  when  a  very  large  fellow  was  caught  on 
board  the  Alceste,  in  Anjeer  Roads  at  Java,  when  we  were 
proceeding  to  China  with  the  embassy  under  Lord  Amherst. 
A  number  of  ducks  and  hens,  which  had  died  in  the  night, 
were,  as  usual,  thrown  overboard  in  the  morning,  besides 
several  baskets,  and  many  other  minor  things,  such  as 
bundles  of  shavings  and  bits  of  cordage,  all  which  things 
were  found  in  this  huge  sea-monster's  inside.  But  what 
excited  most  surprise  and  admiration  was  the  hide  of  a 
buflfalo,  killed  on  board  that  day  for  the  ship's  company's 


no 


THE  ROMANCE  OP  TRAVEL. 


dinner.  The  old  sailor  who  had  cut  open  the  shark  stood 
with  a  foot  on  each  side,  and  drew  out  the  articles  one  by 
one  from  the  huge  cavern  into  which  they  had  been  indis- 
criminately drawn.  When  the  operator  came  at  last  to 
the  buffalo's  skin,  he  held  it  up  before  him  like  a  curtain 
and  exclaimed,  "  There,  my  lad ;  d'ye  see  that !  He  hai 
swallowed  a  buffalo,  but  he  could  not  digest  the  hide ' 


fHB  HABPBK. 


Mr.  Samuel  Rogers  in  his  delightful  poetical  record 
of  his  travels  in  Italy,  gives  the  following  romantic  inci- 
dent of  his  encounter  with  an  old  harper,  whom  he  re- 
ceiyed  into  his  travelling  carriage  on  the  way  to  Reggio. 


It  was  a  Harper,  wandering  with  his  harp, 
His  only  treasure  ;  a  majestic  man, 

15  (118) 


114  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TKAVEL. 

By  time  and  grief  ennobled,  not  subdued ; 

Though  from  his  height  descending,  day  by  da^^^ 

And,  as  his  upward  look  at  once  betrayed. 

Blind  as  old  Homer.     At  a  fount  he  sate, 

Well-known  to  many  a  weary  traveller ; 

His  little  guide,  a  boy  not  seven  years  old, 

But  grave,  considerate  beyond  his  years, 

Sitting  beside  him.     Each  had  ate  his  crust 

In  silence,  drinking  of  the  virgin-spring ; 

And  now  in  silence  as  their  custom  was, 

The  sun's  decline  awaited. — But  the  child 

Was  worn  with  travel.  Heavy  sleep  weighed  dowD 

His  eye-lids ;  and  the  grandsire,  when  we  cama 

Emboldened  by  his  love  and  by  his  fear. 

His  fear  lest  night  o'er  take  them  on  the  road, 

Humbly  besought  me  to  convey  them  both 

A  little  onward.     Such  small  services 

Who  can  refuse  ? — Not  I ;  and  him  who  can, 

Blest  though  he  be  with  every  earthly  gift, 

I  cannot  envy.     He,  if  wealth  be  his. 

Knows  not  its  uses.     So  from  noon  till  night, 

With  a  crazed  and  tattered  vehicle. 

That  yet  displayed,  in  old  emblazonry, 

A  shield  as  splendid  as  the  Bardi  wear. 

We  lumbered  on  together ;  the  old  man 

Beguiling  many  a  league  of  half  its  length, 

When  questioned  the  adventures  of  his  life. 

And  all  the  dangers  he  had  undergone : 

His  shipwrecks  on  inhospitable  coasts. 

And  his  long  warfare.     They  were  bound,  he  said 


MR.  ROGERS  AND  THE  HARPER.         115 

To  a  great  fair  at  Reggio ;  and  the  boy, 
Believing  all  the  world  were  to  be  there, 
And  I  arnong  the  rest,  let  loose  his  tongue. 
And  promised  me  much  pleasure.  His  short  trance, 
Short  as  it  was,  had,  like  a  charmed  cup. 
Restored  his  spirit,  and,  as  on  we  crawled, 
Slow  as  the  snail  (my  muleteer  dismounting. 
And  now  his  mules  addressing,  now  his  pipe, 
And  now  Luigi)  he  poured  out  his  heart. 
Largely  repaying  me.     At  length  the  sun 
Departed,  setting  in  a  sea  of  gold ; 
And,  as  we  gazed,  he  bade  me  resi;  assured 
That  like  the  setting  would  the  rising  be. 

Their  harp — it  had  a  voice  oracular. 
And  in  the  desert,  in  the  crowded  street. 
Spoke  when  consulted.     Tf  the  treble  chord 
Twanged  shrill  and  clear,  o'er  hill  and  dale  they  went, 
The  grandsire,  step  by  step,  led  by  the  child ; 
And  not  a  rain  drop  from  a  passing  cloud 
Fell  on  their  garments.     Thus  it  spoke  to-day ; 
Inspiring  joy,  and  in  the  young  one's  mind. 
Brightening  a  path  already  full  of  sunshine. 


Among  the  romantic  and  curious  adventures  which  have 
fallen  under  the  notice  of  travellers,  the  pursuit  of  tlie 
different  varieties  of  seals  are  b}'  no  means  the  least  inte- 
resting. The  coasts  of  Greenland  abound  with  seals,  and 
also  with  morses,  wdiich  seem  to  be  a  larger  and  more 
formidable  kind  of  seal.  Beside  the  common  seal  there 
ire  many  varieties,  such  as  the  harp  seal,  the  sea  lion, 
•.he  sea  bear,  and  many  others. 

A  traveller  thus  describes  the  seal  and  the  modes  of 
captui^mg  it,  by  sea  and  land,  practised  by  the  Green- 
ni6) 


SEAL  HUNTING  AMONG  THE  GREENLANDERS.        1  \  9 

landers  :  Th  *  animal  which  to  us  is  an  object  of  curiosity^ 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable  gifts  bestowed  by  nature  on 
tlie  natives  of  the  northern  regions,  such  as  the  Green- 
In  nders,  Kamtschadales,  and  Esquimaux.  To  them  the 
seal  is  of  the  utmost  utility,  and  supplies  their  chief  wants* 
Its  skin  furnishes  them  with  clothes,  shoes,  boots,  stock- 
ings, and  coverings  for  their  tents  and  boats;  its  flesh 
serves  them  for  food ;  its  fat  they  burn  in  lamps  to  light 
their  wretched  huts,  and  at  these,  as  they  have  no  other 
fires,  they  likewise  warm  themselves  and  dress  their 
victuals.  The  sinews  they  use  for  thread,  and  with  the 
intestines  they  contrive  to  make  windows,  shirts,  and 
curtains  for  their  summer  tents.  The  stomach  answers 
the  purpose  of  a  pitcher  or  bottle,  and,  lastly,  with  the 
bones  they  make  all  sorts  of  utensils.  Since  the  Euro- 
peans extended  their  commerce  to  those  dreary  regions, 
the  inhabitants  have  bartered  a  great  quantity  of  seals' 
skins  and  grease  for  cloth,  iron  implements,  and  other 
things  necessary  in  the  daily  concerns  of  life. 

From  what  I  have  just  said  you  may  infer,  that  a 
scarcity  of  seals  is  as  great  a  calamity  to  the  poor  Green- 
landers  as  a  failure  of  our  crops  would  be  to  us  ;  and  that 
they  are  then  reduced  to  as  great  distress  as  we  should 
be  in  case  of  a  sudden  dearth  of  corn  and  other  alimen- 
tary productions.  Since,  then,  the  seal  is  an  object  in- 
dispensably necessary  for  the  existence  of  the  Green- 
landers,  all  their  efforts  must  consequently  tend  towards 
procuring  this  primary  article  with  facility,  and  in  the 
greatest  possible  quantity.  As  with  us  youth  early  ap- 
ply themselves  to  the  sciences  or  arts  belonging  to  the 


120  THE  ROMANCE  OP  TRAVEL. 

[  rofession  which  they  have  adopted,  so  the  young  Green- 
landers  devote  their  whole  attention  to  fishing  and  hunt- 
ing ;  since  these  are  the  only  pursuits  that  can  furnish 
them  with  the  means  of  securing  themselves  against  hunger, 
cold,  and  the  inclemencies  of  the  weather.  We  cannot 
sufficiently  admire  the  providence  of  nature,  or  rather  of 
the  Goi  of  nature,  who  has  bestowed  on  these  dreary  re- 
gions, a  creature  capable  of  supplying  the  urgent  necessi- 
ties of  their  inhabitants.  We  must  not,  therefore,  be  as^ 
tonished  to  find  that  the  idea  of  seals  mingles  with  all 
their  thoughts,  and  prevails  even  in  their  religious  notions. 
They  conceive  that  the  felicity  of  Paradise  consists  in  the 
productive  seal-fishery  which  they  shall  there  meet  with. 
It  is  therefore  but  natural  that  they  should  attach  the 
utmost  importance  to  the  fishery,  on  which  their  existence, 
as  it  were,  depends,  and  that  they  have  invented  such 
ingenious  methods  to  render  its  success  more  certain. 

All  the  preparations  made  by  the  Greenlander  for  this 
fishery  prove  that  it  required  considerable  reflection,  time 
and  experience,  to  discover  the  surest  way  of  taking  these 
animals.  If  you  look  at  a  Greenland  fisherman  you  can 
not  help  admiring  the  ingenuity  and  singular  contrivances, 
by  which  he  arms  himself  beforehand  against  such  dangers 
as  he  cannot  entirely  avoid.  His  very  dress  is  precisely 
what  it  ought  to  be  for  this  pursuit,  and  could  not  be 
better  adapted  to  the  purpose ;  it  is  made  of  seal-skins, 
and  is  fastened  together  with  bone  buttons.  His  canoe 
or  boat  is  likewise  suited  to  the  nature  of  the  spot  to  which 
he  is  confined.  Rocks  of  ice  being  very  frequent  in  the 
•ea  that  washes  those  coasts,  a  large  vessel  would  find  it 


SEAL  JICNTINQ  AMONG  THE  GREBNLANDBRS.        121 

wry  difficult  to  pass  between  them;  for  which  reason  the 
Giccnlandcr  makes  use  of  a  very  narrow  and  extremely 
light  boat,  that  he  may  be  able  to  penetrate  every  where, 
and  steer  it  as  he  pleases.  The  boat  is  composed  of  very 
thin,  straight  laths,  joined  together  with  whalebone,  and 
covered  on  the  outside  with  seal-skins :  it  will  hold  but 
one  person.  The  Greenlanders  never  employ  any  other 
person  ;  among  them  the  women  only  go  in  larger  ones, 
capable  of  holding  several  persons;  but  men  think  it  a 
disgrace  to  sit  down  in  one  of  these  canoes.  Theirs,  which 
they  call  kayaks^  are  five  or  six  yards  long,  and  terminate 
at  each  end  in  a  point ;  in  the  middle  they  are  not  at 
most  a  yard  in  width,  and  their  depth  does  not  exceed 
half  a  yard.  The  two  points  are  protected  with  whalebone 
and  strong  knobs,  to  prevent  their  being  broken  against 
the  ice  or  rocks.  Having  provided  himself  with  an  oar, 
a  quantity  of  arrows,  a  harpoon  fastened  to  a  long  cord, 
and  a  bladder  filled  with  air,  the  fisherman  carries  his 
boat  to  the  shore,  gets  into  it,  and  sets  out  on  his  expedi- 
tion. The  boat,  from  its  lightness,  shoots  swiftly  over 
the  turbulent  waves,  with  which  it  rises  and  falls :  some- 
times a  tremendous  billow  overwhelms  it,  but  this  acci- 
dent excites  no  fear  in  the  bosom  of  the  navigator,  who 
dexterously  balances  the  boat  by  means  of  his  oar,  which 
he  passes  from  one  hand  to  the  other ;  nay,  even  if  he  is 
upset  by  the  force  of  the  wave,  he  can  right  himself  again 
with  the  aid  of  his  oar. 

As  soon  as  he  perceives  a  seal,  he  softly  approaches, 
and  suddenly  throws  his  harpoon  at  the  animal  with  on« 
hand,  while  he  holds  a  cord  which  is  tied  to  it  in  the  othe? 

16 


122  THE  llOMANCE  OI'  TRAVKL. 

The  seal  finding  itself  wounded,  instantly  dives;  the 
cord  follows,  and  the  bladder  of  air  floating  on  'he  surface, 
marks  the  place  to  which  the  animal  retires.  It  is  soon 
obliged  to  rise  again  to  the  surface  for  breath,  when  the 
fisherman  dispatches  it  with  his  spear,  tipped  with  very 
sharp  and  hooked  points.  When  the  seal  is  dead,  the 
Greenlander  tows  his  prey  to  the  shore,  turns  the  boat 
upside  down  on  the  beach,  drags  the  seal  after  him  and 
returns  home.  His  wife  cuts  it  up  ;  they  eat  part  of  the 
flesh,  and  bury  the  rest  in  the  earth  for  winter 

In  a  climate  so  inclement  as  that  of  Greenland,  the  sea, 
which  is  at  all  times  dangerous,  presents  numberless  ob 
stacles  to  the  fisherman,  how  intrepid  soever  he  may  be. 
We  are  almost  frightened  to  think,  that  a  single  individual 
ventures  to  penetrate  into  places  rendered  almost  inacces- 
sible by  tremendous  tempests  and  prodigious  barriers  of 
ice,  where  he  cannot  expect  any  assistance,  where  dreary 
solitude  prevails,  and  where  he  has  to  contend  alone  against 
the  elements,  which  seem  to  conspire  his  destruction.  This 
situation,  which  to  us  appears  so  terrific,  has  no  other 
effect  on  the  Greenlander  than  to  render  him  more  capable 
of  contending  with  success  against  the  obstacles  which 
nature  throws  in  his  way.  He  knows  that  it  is  of  impor- 
tance to  him  to  keep  his  body  supple,  and  to  exercise  all 
his  limbs,  that  he  may  be  able  to  extricate  himself  from 
the  perilous  situations  in  which  he  is  liable  to  be  involved. 
To  this  end,  the  Greenlanders  have  invented  various  kinds 
of  exercises,  intended  to  give  their  youth  agility  and 
address.  They  frequently  exercise  themselves  in  preserv- 
ing, by  the  motions  of  the  body,  the  equilibrium  of  a  boat, 


SEAL  HUNTING  AMONG  THE  GREENLANDBRS.    125 

which  is  made  to  incline  in  every  direction.  They  even 
learn  to  keep  themselves  in  the  boat,  and  to  seize  the  oar, 
if  they  happen  to  let  it  go,  at  the  moment  when  they  are 
turning  topsy  turvy ;  for,  as  I  have  already  told  you,  it 
sometimes  happens  that  a  wave  upsets  the  boat  when  out 
at  sea,  and  then  wo  to  the  poor  fellow  who  loses  his  pre- 
sence of  mind,  and  does  not  endeavor  to  right  the  boat 
again,  and  keep  fast  hold  of  his  oar.  Sometimes  too  he 
is  entangled  in  the  cords  which  the  seal,  when  struck  with 
the  harpoon,  draws  down  with  it.  lie  must  then  con- 
trive to  balance  himself  in  such  a  manner  that  his  boat 
may  not  be  overset,  or  himself  even  drawn  under  water. 
You  may  imagine  what  address  and  presence  of  mind  is 
required  to  get  over  all  these  accidents ;  and  accordingly 
the  acquision  of  these  two  qualities  is  the  sole  object  of 
education  among  the  Greenlanders. 

When  the  cold  is  so  intense  as  to  prevent  the  Green- 
landers  from  going  to  sea,  they  seek  their  prey  upon  the 
ice ;  and  on  this  occasion  they  employ  other  ingenious, 
though  equally  laborious  methods.  As  the  seals  cannot 
remain  long  under  water,  for  want  of  breath,  they  make 
holes  in  the  ice,  by  which  they  ascend  to  take  the  air  and 
lie  down ;  in  this  situation  they  frequently  drop  asleep, 
and  fall  easy  victims  to  their  imprudence ;  for  the  Green- 
lander  is  at  hand,  and  when  he  hears  them  snore  he  softly 
approaches  and  kills  them  with  a  club,  or  of  late  years 
with  a  gun.  When,  on  the  other  hand,  the  seal  happens 
to  be  awake,  its  enemy  is  obliged  to  employ  a  stratagem 
to  take  it.  Covered  from  head  to  foot  with  a  seal-skin^ 
imitating  the  cry  of  the  animal,  and  creeping  upon  his 


126  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

belly  on  the  ice,  he  bears  no  small  resemblance  to  his  in- 
tended victim ;  at  least,  the  creature  commonly  takes  him 
for  one  of  its  own  species,  and  suiFers  him  to  approach 
without  mistrust.  No  sooner  has  he  reached  his  victim, 
than  he  pierces  it  with  a  lance,  which  he  had  kept  con- 
cealed, and  thus  secures  his  prize.  At  other  times  several 
persons  surround  holes  made  in  the  ice,  and  when  one  or 
more  seals  make  their  appearance,  they  dispatch  them 
with  spears.  In  the  peninsula  of  Kamtschatka,  the  seal- 
fishery  is  likewise  an  important  occupation.  There  is  no 
danger  so  great  as  to  deter  them  when  in  pursuit  of  these 
animals ;  nothing  can  frighten,  nothing  can  daunt  these 
intrepid  adventurers.  The  mere  description  of  this  fishery 
is  enough  to  excite  terror  in  us,  while  these  people  look 
upon  all  the  circumstances  attending  it  as  perfectly  simple 
and  natural. 

They  commonly  choose  the  darkest  nights  of  winter  for 
their  expeditions.  Figure  to  yourselves  what  a  winter's 
night  must  be  in  the  midst  of  the  Frozen  Ocean,  when 
fields  of  ice  frequently  a  league  in  length  borne  furiously 
along  by  the  waves,  dash  against  each  other  with  a  tre- 
mendous noise,  sufficient  to  appal  the  stoutest  heart ;  when 
the  snow,  driven  about  by  hurricanes,  falls  in  large  flakes ; 
when,  in  short,  every  thing  would  seem  to  announce  a 
general  convulsion  of  the  elements  and  the  end  of  the 
world.  It  is  exactly  at  the  moment  when  all  these  cir- 
cumstances are  combined,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Kamt- 
schatka undertake  their  expeditions,  and  expose  their 
frail  lives  a  thousand  and  a  thousand  times  again  to  ap- 
parently inevitable  destruction.   Notwithstanding  all  this, 


MORSB. 


COMMON  SEAL. 


HARP  SEAL. 


SEAL  HUNTING  AMONG  THE  GREENLANDERS.  129 

thjy  are  frequently  so  successful  as  to  return  liome  with 
plenty  of  booty.  Yet  these  unfortunate  creatures  often 
fall  victims  to  their  audacity,  and  are  entombed  in  the 
billows  which  they  so  boldly  brave.  Sometimes  it  happenp 
that  the  wind,  which  at  their  departure  blew  from  the  scr. 
to  the  shore,  suddenly  shifts,  and  drives  the  fields  of  ice 
which  they  are  upon,  farther  out  to  sea  ;  in  this  case  it 
requires  their  utmost  efforts  to  save  their  lives.  Notwith- 
standing the  most  intense  cold,  they  are  obliged  to  throw 
themselves  into  the  water  that  they  may  reach  the  shore 
by  swimming ;  those  who  are  less  expert,  tie  themselves 
with  cords  to  their  dogs,  who  drag  them  faithfully  to  land. 
There  are  less  dangerous  methods  of  catching  seals,  they 
are  of  course  less  certain,  and  always  less  successful  than 
when  the  fisherman  goes  in  quest  of  these  animals  on  their 
native  element.  From  time  to  time,  for  instance,  a  gene- 
ral search  is  made  along  the  coast,  by  women  as  well  as 
men,  armed  with  clubs,  with  which  they  knock  on  the 
head  the  seals  that  appear  on  the  beach,  and  when  once 
surrounded,  have  no  means  of  escaping ;  or,  if  they  find 
none  on  the  shore,  they  set  up  such  a  shout  that  the  seals 
which  are  under  water,  terrified  by  the  noise,  raise  their 
heads,  and  are  instantly  struck  by  very  large  spears. 
The  Danish  merchants  frequently  equip  very  large  vessels 
to  fish  for  seals  near  Spitzbergen,  an  island  situated  in 
the  Frozen  Ocean,  and  belonging,  as  you  know,  to  the 
king  of  Denmark.  On  their  arrival  in  the  neighborhood 
of  this  island,  the  sailors  make  excursions  on  the  ice,  sur- 
prise the  seals,  which  often  lie  asleep  in  herds,  first  stun 
the  animals  by  striking  them  on  the  nose  with  sticks,  and 

17 


130  THE  ROMANCE  0¥  TllAVEL. 

afterwards  dispatch  them.  The  Russian  merchants  do 
the  same  at  the  Kurile  Islands,  situated  near  the  penin* 
sula  of  Kamtschatka.  The  crew  of  each  of  their  ships 
generally  consists  of  from  fifty  to  eighty  men,  who  divide 
themselves  into  several  detachments  to  go  in  quest  of  the 
seals ;  they  moreover  induce  the  islanders,  by  force  or 
presents,  to  assist  them  in  their  expedition,  and  when  they 
have  collected  a  great  number  of  skins  they  return  to 
Russia  to  dispose  of  them  there,  or  send  them  off  to  China. 
Greenland,  where  seals  are  found  in  great  numbers,  is 
indebted  to  these  animals  in  particular,  and  to  the  trade  in 
their  skins,  for  having  at  present  much  more  intercourge 
than  formerly  with  Europeans. 


LORENZO  AND  GIANETTA. 


THE  OLD  CARDINAL  AND  HIS  CATS. 


Ii|e  J^g  of  SoiO. 


Mr.  Rogeris  in  his  "  Italy*'  narrates  the  following 
touching  story. 

I  dine  very  often  with  the  good  old  Cardinal  , 

and,  I  should  add,  with  his  cats ;  for  they  always  sit  at  his 
table,  and  aie  much  the  gravest  of  the  company.  His 
beaming  countenance  makes  us  forget  his  age ;  nor  did 
I  ever  see  it  clouded  until  yesterday,  when,  as  we  were 
contemplating  the  sun-set  from  his  terrace,  he  happened, 

(133) 


134  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

in  the  course  of  our  conversation,  to  allude  .0  an  affecting 
circumstance  in  his  early  life. 

He  had  just  left  the  University  of  Palermo  and  was 
entering  the  army,  when  he  became  acquainted  with  a 
young  lady  of  great  beauty  and  merit,  a  Sicilian  of  a  fa- 
mily as  illustrious  as  his  own.  Living  near  each  other, 
they  were  often  together ;  and,  at  an  age  like  theirs, 
friendship  soon  turns  to  love.  But  his  father,  for  what 
reason  I  forget,  refused  his  consent  to  their  union ;  till, 
alarmed  at  the  declining  health  of  his  son,  he  promised 
to  oppose  it  no  longer,  if,  after  a  separation  of  three  years, 
they  continued  as  much  in  love  as  ever. 

Relying  on  that  promise,  he  said,  I  set  out  on  a  long 
journey ;  but  in  my  absence  the  usual  arts  were  resorted 
to.  Our  letters  were  intercepted  ;  and  false  rumors  were 
spread — first  of  my  indifference,  then  of  my  inconstancy, 
then  of  my  marriage  with  a  rich  heiress  of  Sienna ;  and, 
when  at  length  I  returned  to  make  her  my  own,  I  found 
her  in  a  convent  of  Ursuline  Nuns.  She  had  taken  the 
veil ;  and  I,  said  he  with  a  sigh — what  else  remained  for 
me — I  went  into  the  church. 

Yet  many,  he  continued,  as  if  to  turn  the  conversation, 
very  many  have  been  happy  though  we  were  not ;  and,  if 
I  am  not  abusing  an  old  man's  privilege,  let  me  tell  you 
a  story  with  a  better  catastrophe.  It  was  told  to  me 
when  a  boy ;  and  you  may  not  be  unwilling  to  hear  it, 
for  it  bears  some  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Merchant  of 
Venice. 

We  were  now  arrived  at  a  pavilion  that  commanded 
one  of  the  noblest  prospects  imaginable ;  the  mountains, 


THB  BAG  OF  GOLD.  185 

the  sea,  and  the  islands  illuminated  by  the  last  beams  of 
day;  and,  sitting  down  there,  he  proceeded  with  hii 
usual  vivacity ;  for  the  sadness,  that  had  come  across 
him,  was  gone. 

There  lived  in  the  fourteenth  century,  near  Bologna,  a 
widow  lady  of  the  Lambertini  family,  called  Madonna 
Lucrezia,  who  in  a  revolution  of  the  state  had  known  the 
bitterness  of  poverty,  and  had  even  begged  her  bread ; 
kneeling  day  after  day  like  a  statue  at  the  gate  of  the 
cathedral ;  her  rosary  in  her  left  hand  and  her  right  held 
out  for  charity  ;  her  long  black  veil  concealing  a  face  that 
had  once  adorned  a  court,  and  had  received  the  homage 
of  as  many  sonnets  as  Petrarch  has  written  on  Laura. 

But  fortune  had  at  last  relented  ;  a  legacy  from  a  dis- 
tant relation  had  come  to  her  relief:  and  she  was  now 
the  mistress  of  a  small  inn  at  the  foot  of  the  Appennines ; 
where  she  entertained  as  well  as  she  could,  and  where 
those  only  stopped  who  were  contented  with  a  little.  The 
house  was  still  standing,  when  in  my  youth,  I  passed  that 
way ;  though  the  sign  of  the  White  Cross,  the  Cross  of 
the  Hospitallers,  was  no  longer  to  be  seen  over  the  door ; 
a  sign  which  she  had  taken,  if  we  may  believe  the  tradition 
there,  in  honor  of  a  maternal  uncle,  a  grand-master,  of 
that  Order,  whose  achievements  in  Palestine  she  would 
sometimes  relate.  A  mountain-stream  ran  through  the 
garden ;  and  at  no  great  distance,  where  the  road  turned 
on  its  way  to  Bologna,  stood  a  little  chapel,  in  which  a 
lamp  was  always  burning  before  a  picture  of  the  Virgin, 
a  picture  Df  great  antiquity,  the  work  of  some  Greek 
artist 


136 


THE  ROMANCB  Of  XaAVEL. 


THE  VINE-TRELLIS  OF  THE  WHITE  GROSS. 

Here  she  was  dwelling,  respected  by  all  who  knew  her . 
when  an  event  took  place,  which  threw  her  into  the  deepest 
affliction.  It  was  at  noon-day  in  September,  that  three 
foot-travellers  arrived,  and,  seating  themselves  on  a  bench 
under  her  vine-trellis,  were  supplied  with  a  flagon  of  alea- 
tico  by  a  lovely  girl,  her  only  child,  the  image  of  her 
former  self.  The  eldest  spoke  like  a  Venetian,  and  his 
beard  was  short  and  pointed  after  the  fashion  of  Venice. 
In  his  demeanor  he  affected  great  courtesy,  but  his  look 
inspired  little  confidence ;  for  when  he  smiled,  which  he 
did  continually,  it  was  with  his  lips  only,  not  with  his 
eyes ;  and  they  were  always  turned  from  yours.  His 
companions  were  bluff  and  frank  in  their  manner,  and  on 
their  tongues  had  many  a  soldier's  oath.     In  their  hats 


THE  BAG  OF  GOLD.  137 

they  wore  a  medal,  such  as  in  that  age  was  often  distri* 
buted  in  war ;  and  they  were  evidently  subalterns  in  one 
9f  those  Free  Bands  which  were  always  ready  to  serve  in 
any  quarrel,  if  a  service  it  could  be  called,  where  a  battle 
was  little  more  than  a  mockery ;  and  the  slain,  as  on 
an  opera-stage,  were  up  and  fighting  to-morrow.  Over- 
come with  the  heat,  they  threw  aside  their  cloaks ;  and, 
with  their  gloves  tucked  under  their  belts,  continued  for 
some  time  in  earnest  conversation. 

At  length  they  rose  to  go ;  and  the  Venetian  thus  ad- 
dressed their  hostess.  "Excellent  lady,  may  we  leave 
under  your  roof,  for  a  day  or  two,  this  bag  of  gold?" 

"  You  may,"  she  replied  gaily.  "  But  remember,  we 
fasten  only  with  a  latch.  Bars  and  bolts,  we  have  none 
in  our  village;  and,  if  we  had,  where  would  be  your 
security  ?" 

*^  In  your  word,  lady." 

"  But  what  if  I  died  to-night  ?  Where  would  it  be 
then  ?"  said  she,  laughing.  "  The  money  would  go  to  the 
church  ;  for  none  could  claim  it." 

"Perhaps  you  will  favor  us  with  an  acknowledgment." 

"  If  you  will  write  it." 

An  acknowledgment  was  written  accordingly,  and  she 
signed  it  before  Master  Bartolo,  the  village  physician, 
who  had  just  called  on  his  mule  to  learn  the  news  of  the 
day  ;  the  gold  to  be  delivered  when  applied  for,  but  to  be 
delivered  (these  were  the  words)  not  to  one — nor  to  two  — 
but  to  the  three ;  words  wisely  introduced  by  those  to 
whom  it  belonged,  knowing  what  they  knew  of  each  other. 
The  gold  they  had  just  released  from  a  miser's  chest  Id 

18 


138  THB  ROMANCE  OP  TRAVEL. 

Perugia ;  and  they  were  now  on  a  scent  that  promised 
more. 

They  and  their  shadows  were  no  sooner  departed,  than 
the  Venetian  returned,  saying,  "  Give  me  leave  to  set  my 
seal  on  the  bag,  as  the  others  have  done ;''  and  she  placed 
it  on  a  table  before  him.  But  in  that  moment  she  was 
called  away  to  receive  a  cavalier,  who  liad  just  dismounted 
from  his  horse ;  and,  when  she  came  back,  it  was  gone. 
^Jlie  temptation  had  proved  irresistible  ;  and  the  man  and 
the  money  had  vanished  together. 

'^  Wretched  woman  that  I  am!"  she  cried,  as  in  an 
agony  of  grief  she  threw  herself  on  her  daughter's  neck. 
^'  What  will  become  of  us?  Are  we  again  to  be  cast  into 
the  wide  world  ?  Unhappy  child,  would  that  thou  hadst 
never  been  born  !"  and  all  daylong  she  lamented;  but 
her  tears  availed  her  little.  The  others  were  not  slo\y  in 
returning  to  claim  their  due ;  and  there  were  no  tidings 
of  the  thief;  he  had  fled  far  away  with  his  plunder.  A 
process  against  her  was  instantly  begun  in  Bologna ;  and 
what  defence  could  she  make ;  how  release  herself  from 
the  ol^ligiition  of  the  bond?  Wilfully  or  in  negligence 
she  b:id  parted  with  it  to  one,  when  she  should  have  kept 
it  for  all ;  and  inevitable  ruin  awaited  her  !  "  Go,  Gia- 
netta,''  said  she  to  her  daughter,  "take  this  veil  which 
VTir  mother  has  wept  under  so  often,  and  implore  the 
Counsellor  Calderino  to  plead  for  us  on  the  day  of  trial. 
He  is  generous,  and  will  listen  to  the  unfortunate.  But, 
if  he  will  not,  go  from  door  to  door ;  Monaldi  cannot  re- 
fuse us.  Make  haste,  my  child;  but  remember  the  chapel 
as  you  pass  by  it.     Nothing  prospers  without  a  prayef." 


MARRIAGE  OP  LORENZO  AND  QIANETTA. 


THE  BAG  OF  GOLD.  141 

Ala43,  she  went,  but  in  vain.  These  were  retained 
against  them ;  those  demanded  more  than  they  had  tp 
give  ;  and  all  made  them  despair.  What  was  to  be  done  ? 
No  advocate ;  and  the  cause  to  come  on  to-morrow ! 

Now  Gianetta  had  a  lover ;  and  he  was  a  student  of 
the  law,  a  young  man  of  great  promise,  Lorenzo  Martelli. 
He  had  studied  long  and  diligently  under  that  learned 
lawyer,  Giovanni  Andreas,  who,  though  little  of  stature, 
was  great  in  renown,  and  by  his  contemporaries  was  called 
the  Arch-doctor,  the  Rabbi  of  Doctors,  the  Light  of  the 
World.  Under  him  he  had  studied,  sitting  on  the  same 
bench  with  Petrarch ;  and  also  under  his  daughter  Novella, 
who  would  often  lecture  to  the  scholars,  when  her  father 
was  otherwise  engaged,  placing  herself  behind  a  small 
curtain,  lest  her  beauty  should  divert  their  thoughts ;  a 
precaution  in  this  instance  at  least  unnecessary,  Lorenzo 
having  lost  his  heart  to  another. 

To  him  she  flies  in  her  necessity ;  but  of  what  assistance 
can  he  be  ?  He  has  just  taken  his  place  at  the  bar,  but 
he  has  never  spoken ;  and  how  stand  up  alone,  unpractised 
and  unprepared  as  he  is,  against  an  array  that  would 
alarm  the  most  experienced? — *'  Were  I  as  mighty  as  I  am 
weak,"  said  he,  *^  my  fears  for  you  would  make  me  as  nothing. 
But  I  will  be  there,  Gianetta ;  and  may  the  Friend  of  the 
Friendless  give  me  strength  in  that  hour !  Even  now  my 
heart  fails  me ;  but,  come  what  will,  while  I  have  a  loaf 
to  share,  you  and  your  mother  shall  never  want.  I  will 
beg  through  the  world  for  you." 

The  day  arrives,  and  the  court  assembles.  The  claim 
if  stated,  and  the  evidenoe  given.     And  now  the  defence 


U: 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 


is  called  for — but  none  is  made ;  not  a  syllable  is  uttered ; 
and,  after  a  pause  and  a  consultation  of  some  minutes,  the 
Judges  are  proceeding  to  give  judgment,  silence  having 
been  proclaimed  in  the  court,  when  Lorenzo  rises  and  thus 
addresses  them.  "  Reverend  Signers.  Young  as  I  am, 
may  I  venture  to  speak  before  you  ?  I  would  speak  in 
behalf  of  one  who  has  none  else  to  help  her ;  and  I  will 
not  keep  you  long.  Much  has  been  said ;  much  on  the 
sacred  nature  of  the  obligation — and  we  acknowledge  it  in 
its  full  force.  Let  it  be  fulfilled,  and  to  the  last  letter. 
It  is  what  we  solicit,  what  we  require.  But  to  whom  is 
the  bag  of  gold  to  be  delivered  ?  What  says  the  bond  ? 
Not  to  one — not  to  two — but  to  the  three.  Let  the  three 
stand  forth  and  claim  it." 

From  that  day,  (for  who  can  doubt  the  issue  ?)  none 
were  sought,  none  employed,  but  the  subtle,  the  eloquent 
Lorenzo.  Wealth  followed  Fame ;  nor  need  I  say  how 
8ocr  he  sat  at  his  marriage  feast,  or  who  sat  beside  him. 


Ii|e  lir^belielr  ik)  S^iiii^scii^. 

Of  all  the  cities  of  the  East,  Damascus  is  described  by 
travellers  as  the  most  romantic  and  delightful.  A  visit 
to  it  is  like  the  realization  of  the  wild  tales  of  the  Ara- 
bian Nights.  Its  Oriental  luxury,  its  gardens  of  roses, 
its  antique  manners  of  the  East,  and  its  historical  associa- 
tions render  a  residence  within  it  like  a  dream  of  fairy 
land.  From  the  account  of  a  recent  traveller  we  copy  a 
description  of  the  city  and  its  people. 

Damascus  is,  perhaps,  the  most  ancient  city  in  the 
world,  and  the  only  one  that  has  continued,  though  not 

19  (146) 


146  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

unlisturbed,  in  a  course  of  prosperity  through  so  vast -a 
succession  of  ages.  It  existed  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  and 
before  them  we  know  not  how  long.  Founded  before 
almost  all  those  that  afterwards  rivalled  or  eclipsed  it,  it 
has  seen  them  perish  one  by  one,  and  sometimes  so  ut- 
terly as  to  leave  them  no  memorial  to  mark  the  place  on 
which  they  stood.  And  yet  Damascus  has  had  its  full 
share  of  the  buflfetings  of  war  and  civil  violence.  It  be- 
came the  capital  of  the  kingdom  of  Syria,  founded  by 
Rehsin,  was  taken  and  sacked  by  Jeroboam,  king  of  Is^ 
rael ;  but  soon  recovered  from  the  blow,  for  it  w^as  once 
more  the  metropolis  of  Syria,  long  before  the  Seleucidse 
had  transferred  the  seat  of  their  empire  to  Antioch.  Un* 
der  the  Saracens,  in  the  brilliant  period  of  Arabian  his- 
tory, Damascus  became,  like  Bagdad,  the  residence  of  the 
caliphs.  After  this,  sieges  and  disasters  were  no  rare 
occurrence  in  its  annals.  Repeatedly  was  it  swept  with 
fire  and  sword,  but  never  did  it  sustain  so  fearful  a  cala- 
mity as  towards  the  close  of  the  fourteenth  century,  when 
io  was  beleagured  by  the  ferocious  conqueror  Timur  Lenk 
(Timur  the  Lame,  or  Tamerlane.)  For  several  days  the 
black  flag  floated  in  vain  on  the  Tartar's  tent;  and  never 
had  that  signal  of  desolation  been  hoisted  for  three  days 
on  the  same  spot  without  the  fulfilment  of  its  fatal  pre- 
sage. At  length  the  city  was  taken  by  storm,  and  the 
streets  were  deluged  with  blood.  They  still  show,  neai 
one  of  the  gates,  the  spot  on  which  stood  a  pyramid  of 
heads,  the  horrible  monument  of  the  victor's  ferocity. 
Timur  Lenk  carried  off  with  him  the  ablest  artizans, 
after  butchering  the  rest,  desiring  to  enrich  his  capital, 


THE  CAMEL. 


TUE  DUUMEDAKY. 


THE  TRAVKLLBR  IN  DAMASCTTS.         149 

Samaracand,  nfith  all  tBe  arts  of  which  he  robbed  the  city 
of  Damascus. 

Damascus  is  a  true  oriental  city.  Tho  aspect  of  its 
streets  certainly  does  not  meet  the  expectation  excited 
by  its  romantic  appearance  as  viewed  from  a  distance ; 
they  are  narrow  and  irregular,  and  flanked  with  ugly 
dead  walls ;  but  broad  streets  are  no  luxury  in  a  warm 
climate :  those  of  Damascus  are  seldom  of  a  width  more 
than  suflScient  to  allow  two  laden  camels  to  pass  each 
other  without  crushing  the  pedestrians,  and  many  are  of 
much  narrower  dimensions.  They  are  the  most  noiseless 
possible :  there  are  no  wheeled  carriages  rolling  along 
them ;  and  the  occasional  step  of  a  Christian's  ass,  a 
camel,  or  a  mule,  or  more  rarely  of  a  horse,  does  not 
much  disturb  the  mysterious  stillness  in  which  the  city 
appears  wrapped,  until  you  approach  the  bazaars,  and 
other  places  of  busy  resort. 

The  city  contains  a  great  many  fine  mosques,  and,  it 
IS  said,  not  less  than  five  hundred  private  dwellings  that 
might  rank  as  palaces ;  but  the  interior  magnificence  of 
the  houses  adds  nothing  to  the  beauty  of  the  streets,  to 
which  they  present  no  more  than  dull  mud  walls,  with 
one  or  two  ill-made  lattice  windows  at  a  considerable 
height.  The  houses  are  sometimes  constructed  on  archef 
that  hang  across  the  streets,  making  it  quite  dark.  Wooden 
rafters,  too,  when  the  arch  has  not  been  turned,  are  visible 
frequently  from  below,  and  render  the  way  still  mc  re 
gloomy. 

All  great  eastern  towns  are  diflScult  to  thread,  but  few 
in  so  great  a  degree  as  Damascus,  from  the  perplexing 


150 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVBL. 


DONKEYS. 


intricacy  of  the  narrow  streets,  and  of  the  many  winding 
bazaar.  Sometimes  you  are  pinned  up  in  a  corner  by  a 
long  string  of  camels,  that  fill  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
way ;  and  sometimes  you  are  run  down  and  covered  with 
filth  by  a  whole  line  of  donkeys,  that  trot  heedlessly  on 
with  noiseless  tread  over  the  sandy  soil.  However  lei- 
surely these  animals  may  move,  when  the  road  is  open 
and  plain  before  them,  they  are  all  possessed  with  an  in- 
sane propensity  for  rushing  forwards  whenever  the  pas- 
sage is  narrowed  by  any  casual  obstruction  ^  and  when 
there  happens  to  be  several  of  them  together  on  these 
oc  casions,  a  race  ensues,  which  ends  perhaps  in  two  or 
three  of  them  becoming  fast  wedged  together,  and  then 
their  kicking  and  pushing  only  make  their  case  the  more 
desperate. 


ABABS. 


THE  TKAVELLBR  IN  DAMASCUS. 


158 


THE  CEMETERY. 


The  streets  have  a  large  barrier  at  each  end,  which  is 
always  closed  at  sunset,  or  very  soon  after,  as  a  protec- 
tion against  thieves,  but  a  very  small  bribe  will  open  the 
barrier  at  any  hour  of  the  night,  for  there  is  always  a 
gatekeeper  at  hand.  These  impediments  to  a  free  circu- 
lation through  the  streets  by  night  are  not  felt  as  an  in- 
convenience by  the  orientals.  The  shops  are  all  closed 
at  the  approach  of  dusk,  and  every  true  believer  goes 
home  to  his  own  house,  which  he  does  not  quit  till  the 
following  morning. 

The  eastern  gate,  now  walled  up,  is  memorable  as  the 
place  where  the  Apostle  was  let  down  by  the  wall  in  a 

20 


154  THB  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

basket.  They  pretend  to  show  the  very  house  from  which 
he  thus  made  his  escape ;  and  whatever  faith  we  may  put 
in  this  tradition,  it  is,  at  least,  a  curious  fact  that,  in  a 
fortification  of  the  present  day,  houses  still  stand  on  the 
walls  with  their  windows  towards  the  country,  and  imme- 
diately overhanging  the  ditch  in  a  manner  so  likely  to 
facilitate  escape,  and  even  to  aiford  entrance  to  an  enemy. 
This,  at  any  rate,  proves  how  little  Damascus  has  changed 
from  its  earliest  days. 

The  Christians  have  here  a  large  uninclosed  cemetery, 
much  visited  by  them  ;  and  near  it  is  a  tomb,  inclosed  in  a 
wooden  cage,  and  said  to  be  that  of  a  warder,  traditionally 
called  St.  George,  who,  having  become  a  Christian,  allowed 
the  Apostle  to  escape,  and  afterwards  suffered  martyrdom 
for  his  zeal  and  humanity.  There  is  an  arch  in  the  burial- 
ground,  where,  it  is  pretended,  St.  Paul  hid  himself  after 
his  descent  from  the  wall. 

In  a  wide,  open  road  beyond  the  cemetery,  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  gate,  is  a  place  still  highly  venerated 
as  the  supposed  scene  of  SauVs  miraculous  conversion. 
The  present  track  deviates  now  from  the  straight  line, 
leaving  a  few  yards  to  the  right,  the  precise  spot  believed 
to  be  that  where  he  fell  to  the  earth. 

The  other  principal  gates  are,  the  gate  of  the  Camels, 
leading  to  the  rendezvous  of  the  Arabs ;  the  Paradise  gate, 
a  large  one,  with  a  gloomy  archway,  leading  into  a  bus- 
tling bazaar,  near  the  centre  of  the  south  wall ;  and  the 
greatest  throughfare  of  all,  the  gate  of  Thomas,  so  called, 
probably,  in  memory  of  the  brave  Christian  champion,  who 
BO  nobly,  but  fruitlessly,  withstood  the  Saracen  besiegers. 


A  TURKISH  LADT. 


THE  TRAVELLER  IN  DAMASCUS.  157 

Among  the  whimsical  works  in  the  city  and  its  neigh- 
borhood, there  is  one  carried  on  at  this  gate  to  a  great 
extent.  Several  men,  with  their  arms  bare,  are  pulling 
with  all  their  strength,  for  several  hours  a  day,  at  what 
appears  at  first  unusually  long  hanks  of  white  yarn :  at 
length  you  discover  that  the  cables  are  made  of  flour  and 
sugar,  which,  when  well  kneaded  together  in  this  manner, 
are  allowed  to  grow  crisp,  and  sold  as  the  favorite  sweet- 
meats of  the  bazaars.. 

The  bazaars  of  Damascus  are  very  agreeable  lounging 
places,  and  ofifer  an  endless  fund  of  amusement  to  the  Euro- 
pean stranger,  whose  eyes  are  bewildered  amid  the  gay 
colors  of  the  various  articles  exposed  for  sale,  and  the 
groups  that  are  seen  passing  and  repassing  in  all  the  dif- 
ferent costumes  of  Syria  and  of  many  other  Eastern  lands. 
Here  you  meet  agas,  moving  with  slow  and  stately  tread, 
dressed  in  white  turbans  and  crimson  and  scarlet  silk 
cloaks,  edged  with  costly  fur,  with  diamond-hilted  khand- 
jars  and  yatagans  gleaming  in  their  girdles.  They  are 
followed  each  by  five  or  six  obsequious  retainers,  and  a 
black  slave  carries  their  pipes  and  scarlet  and  blue  cloth 
bags,  adorned  with  sprigs  and  fruit  embroidered  in  gold. 
Swarthy  and  grim-visaged  Hawara  Arabs,  and  Bedouins 
from  the  Great  Desert,  with  their  coarse  cloaks  hanging 
upon  them  like  the  drapery  of  an  ancient  statue,  congre- 
gate around  the  shops  of  the  tobacconists,  the  saddlers, 
and  the  armorers.  Sometimes  the  crowd  is  obliged  to  fall 
back  and  open  a  passage  to  a  procession  of  men  on  horse- 
back, or  of  culprits  led  about  the  streets  as  an  example 
to  the  people.     The  latter  are  preceded  by  a  man  shout- 


168  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

ing  out  their  crimes,  and  calling  upon  all  to  take  warning 
Women  are  as  numerous  as  men  in  these  places,  and  make 
all  the  household  purchases.  Tlie  shopmen  have  an  air 
of  gallantry  in  their  way  of  dealing  with  their  muffled 
customers,  that  seems  to  invite  them  to  linger  about  their 
purchases ;  and  frequently  one  may  notice  groups  of  ftiir 
ladies  remaining  an  unconscionable  time  to  listen  to  the 
soft  tones  of  the  shopkeeper. 

The  women  of  Damascus  are  esteemed  the  handsomest 
of  the  East;  and  though  the  fame  of  their  charms  has,  no 
doubt,  been  much  enhanced  by  the  difficulty  of  seeing 
them,  they  sometimes,  from  behind  their  tantalizing  clouds, 
pour  forth  a  light  that  might  dazzle  the  most  discreet  be- 
nolder.  Black  slave-girls  generally  attend  the  better 
class  of  women  in  the  bazaar,  as  carefully  veiled,  however, 
as  their  mistresses ;  and  it  is  only  by  the  peculiar  white 
of  the  eye  they  can  be  distinguished. 

The  shops  of  all  kinds  being  open,  every  thing  is  done 
in  public.  Each  commodity  has  its  own  peculiar  mart ; 
if  you  chance  to  want  boots  or  shoes,  you  will  be  directed, 
on  inquiry,  to  a  bazaar  filled  from  end  to  end  with  piles 
of  red  and  yellow  boots,  shoes,  and  slippers  for  both  sexes. 
There  are  always  very  entertaining  doings  to  be  witnessed 
in  the  ready-made  clothing-shops,  where  cheapness  is 
more  regarded  than  fashion  ;  and  the  poorer  classes  dress 
themselves  in  all  the  costumes  of  the  East.  They  try  the 
articles  on,  either  in  midst  of  the  thoroughfare  or  on  the 
board  of  a  tailor,  and  loungers  stop  frequently  to  oflFer  their 
opinions  on  the  style  and  fit.  There  is  a  singular  osten- 
Ution  in  the  display  of  new  clothes  in  the  East,  from 


A  TURKISH  SHOP. 


THE  TRAVELLER  IN  DAMASCUS.  161 

Boin^i  superstitious  feeling  perhaps,  for  the  ticket  is  never 
taken  off  the  turban,  or  the  shawl  round  tie  waist,  until 
their  novelty  is  completely  worn  away.  The  gayest 
Turks  in  Dainascus  strut  with  greater  pride  when  the  mark 
of  the  shop  dangles  from  their  heads.  Sometimes,  you 
observe  the  corner  of  a  piece  of  Manchester  njaiuifactu;-e 
spread  over  the  folds  of  the  turban  it  composes,  and  showing' 
the  name  of  the  makers  stamped  on  it  in  large  blue  letters  : 
an  English  firm  is  thus  converted  into  a  decoration  for  a 
Turkish  beau. 

But  if  you  would  see  all  the  humors  of  this  perennial 
fair  in  their  highest  perfection,  go  between  ten  and  twelve 
o'clock,  when  the  auctions  are  going  on.  The  bazaars  are 
then  crowded  to  excess,  and  the  noise  is  prodigious.  The 
staid  Orientals  quite  forgot  all  their  usual  gravity  and  se- 
dateness,  and  run  about  and  bellow  like  bedlamites. 
Second  hand  goods,  old  clothes,  and  bedding  are  sold  in 
this  iray.  Men  hurry  through  the  crowd  with  the  different 
articles  hoisted  on  their  heads,  or  flourish  them  about  in 
their  hands,  and  the  seller  screams  out  the  bidding,  whilst 
crowds  of  women  are  bidding  with  all  the  keen  relish  for 
"  a  bargain,"  confessed  by  thrifty  housewives  all  the  world 
over. 

The  manufacture  of  the  celebrated  Damascus  swords  no 
longer  exists.  The  weapons  now  offered  for  sale  by  the 
trmorers  are  of  a  very  ordinary  character.  Some  speci- 
mens of  the  old  manufacture  are  still  met  with ;  but  they 
pass  as  heirlooms,  from  hand  to  hand,  and  are  esteemed 
exceedingly  precious. 

Among  the  lost  arts  of  Damascus  appears  to  be  the 
21 


162  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

manufacture  of  splendid  silk  damask  interwoven  with  gold, 
which  is  seen  in  some  of  the  richest  houses,  but  is  not 
easily  to  be  found  in  the  bazaars.  The  present  manufac- 
tures are  the  red  leather  shoes  and  slippers  ;  a  variety  of 
silver  work  ;  a  very  durable  mixed  stuff,  of  silk  and  cottwi, 
in  general  wear  throughout  Syria,  some  of  the  patterns 
of  which  are  remarkably  handsome ;  and  some  very  neat 
cabinet  work,  chiefly  in  the  form  of  boxes  and  coffers. 
This  latter  is  a  particularly  important  branch  of  trade 
since  the  principal  furniture  of  an  Arab  family  consists 
in  one  or  two  chests,  in  which  they  keep  their  clothes  and 
other  movables.  Most  of  these  boxes  are  of  cedar,  painted 
red,  and  studded  with  gilt  nails  in  various  devices.  Some 
are  inlaid  with  ivory  and  mother-of-pearl,  or  finely  carved 
in  relief.  The  smell  of  cedar  wood  pervades  the  whole 
bazaar,  and  mingling  with  the  thousand  different  perfumes 
exhaled  by  the  shops  of  the  grocers  and  the  druggists,  and 
with  the  incessant  smoking  of  countless  pipes,  fills  these 
places  with  a  peculiar  atmosphere  of  their  own. 

The  Armenian  gold  and  silversmiths  carry  on  their 
trade  in  what  was  once  a  Christian  church ;  it  is  parted 
off  into  alleys,  where  the  workdien  sit  with  fire,  bellows, 
anvils,  hammers,  pincers,  drawers,  and  so  forth ;  and  the 
ear  is  stunned  with  the  incessant  clattering  on  all  sides. 
Old  men  with  sallow  faces  and  gray  beards,  are  seen  poring 
over  ingots  of  gold  and  silv^er,  melting  the  metal  in  pots 
and  pans  on  charcoal  fires,  or  drawing  it  out  into  long 
wires,  and  hammering  it  into  different  shapes  ;  and  people 
are  constantly  com.xig  in  with  rings,  bracelets,  silver  fili- 
gree baskets,  and  various  kinds  of  jewelry,  to  be  repaired 


DANCING  GIRLS* 


TUE  TKAVELLPM  IN  DAMASCUS.  165 

or  to  serve  as  patterns  for  articles  to  be  made  to  order 
The  jewellers  display  little  laste  or  skill  in  setting  their 
precious  stones  or  pearls  ;  but  the  stocks  they  possess  are 
considerable.  These  men  are  a  numerous  class:  they 
make  no  great  display  of  their  tempting  wares,  but  lock 
them  up  in  small  caskets,  only  bringing  them  out  when  a 
customer  calls  for  a  jewel. 

The  saddlers  are  the  most  numerous  and  the  most  inge 
nious  workmen  in  Damascus ;  they  occupy  a  long  hand 
some  bazaar  at  the  northern  end  of  the  town.  The  floor 
is  covered  with  skins  on  which  men,  horses,  and  drome- 
daries walk,  and  which  are  to  be  placed  there  to  be  turned 
into  leather,  after  having  been  steeped  in  an  astringent 
liquid  made  from  the  husk  of  the  pomegranate.  The  scar- 
let and  blue  housings,  embroidered  in  gold  and  silver ; 
the  gay  bridles,  martingales,  breast  and  head  pieces,  de- 
corated with  beads,  bits  of  silver,  silk,  shells,  or  tassels ; 
the  saddles,  some  of  red  leather,  and  some  covered  with 
purple  and  blue  velvet,  brocaded  with  silver  and  gold 
thread,  either  finished  and  exposed  for  sale,  or  in  the  act 
of  being  made,  give  this  bazaar  a  very  gay  appearance. 
Nothing  can  surpass  the  beauty  and  splendor  of  the 
trappings  made  to  be  worn,  on  state  occasions,  by  the 
horses  of  the  Arab  chiefs,  or  of  the  agas.  The  prices  of 
all  these  rich  articles  are  greatly  below  the  European 
standard. 

A  variety  of  other  manufactures  of  minor  importance 
are  met  with  ;  the  British  goods  have  now  taken  the  place 
of  many  of  the  inferior  native  fabrics  ;  and  many  articles 
which  used  to  be  brought  from  India  by  the  Persian  Gulf, 


186  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

and  reached  Damascus  by  the  caravans  from  Bagdad,  are 
now  imported  direct  from  London  and  Liverpool  to  Bey- 
rout.  The  principal  articles  of  import  are  cotton  goods, 
cotton  twist,  iron,  hardware,  West  India  produce,  indigo, 
and  cochineal.  The  bazaar  of  the  mercers  displays  an 
extensive  assortment  of  Manchester  and  Glasgow  calicoes, 
muslins  and  printed  goods,  and  a  few  articles  of  Swiss 
manufacture. 

Among  the  shopkeepers,  we  must  not  forget  the  bar- 
bers, those  dear  old  friends  with  whom  the  Arabian  Nights 
have  put  us  on  so  cordial  a  footing  of  intimacy.  With 
that  easy  suavity  for  which  their  fraternity  is  renowned 
all  the  world  over,  they  invite  the  passers  by  to  enter  and 
submit  their  heads  and  faces  to  their  beautifying  fingers. 
Their  shops  are  always  full  of  customers.  They  are  long 
narrow  rooms,  with  benches  on  each  side,  on  which  a 
dozen  Turks  may  sometimes  be  seen  squatting  in  a  line, 
with  their  bare  heads,  already  shaved,  poked  out  in  the 
most  patient  manner,  to  be  kneaded  between  the  hands  of 
the  barber,  who  rolls  them  about  as  if  they  were  balls, 
quite  unconnected  with  the  shoulders  they  belong  to. 
The  barbers  of  Damascus  are  celebrated  for  taste  and 
Bkill  in  all  the  mysteries  of  the  toilette,  including  the  art 
of  imparting  to  the  beard  and  mustachioes  that  dark, 
glossy  hue  so  anxiously  and  universally  coveted.  The  im- 
portant  affair  of  arranging  the  turban  in  their  daily  busi- 
ness, and  the  becoming  variety  displayed  in  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  turbans  worn  by  the  gallants  of  the  city,  doea 
infinite  honor  to  these  meritorious  artists. 

Of  all  the  shops  in  the  city,  those  of  the  apothecaries 


TURKISH  MUSICIANS. 


THE  TRAVELLER  IN  DAMASCUS.         16& 

afford  tlie  most  whimsical,  and  those  of  the  dealers  in 
eatable  commodities  the  most  agreeable,  spectacle,  both 
from  the  excellence  of  their  dainty  stores,  and  from  the 
neatness  and  elegance  with  which  they  are  arranged. 
Fruit  and  vegetables  are  found  in  abundance.  Tho 
peaches,  nectarines,  and  apricots,  are  excellent ;  a  species 
of  the  latter,  called  loosi^  possesses  the  most  exquisite 
flavor ;  and  the  various  conserves  prepared  here  are  marvels» 
in  their  way. 

Damascus  is  celebrated  for  the  number  and  olegance  of 
its  coffee  houses  ;  they  are  for  the  most  part  built  of  wood 
painted  different  colors,  green  and  blue  predominating,  and 
open  on  the  sides,  except  when  partially  closed  with  plants 
coiling  up  the  slender  columns  that  support  the  roof.  The 
softened  light,  that  makes  its  way  through  the  leafy  walls, 
forms  a  charming  contrast  with  the  intense  glare  of  the 
sun  glancing  upon  the  waters,  or  reflected  from  the  whitened 
walls  of  the  houses  of  the  town.  Noi  are  they  more  re- 
markable for  their  picturesque  appearauce  than  their  hap- 
pily-chosen position,  being  generally  situated  on  the  border 
of  some  running  stream,  the  view  opening  out  on  a  pretty 
cascade,  with  gardens  and  orchards  lying  on  the  opposite 
bank.  At  night,  when  the  lamps,  suspended  from  the 
slender  pillars,  are  lighted,  and  Turks  of  different  ranks, 
in  all  the  varieties  of  their  rich  costume,  cover  the  platform 
just  above  the  surface  of  the  river,  on  which  and  its  foam- 
ing cataracts  the  moonlight  rests,  and  the  sound  of  music 
is  heard,  you  fancy  that  if  ever  the  enchantments  of  eastern 
romance  are  to  be  realized,  it  is  here. 

The  pleasures  enjoyed  in  these  places  are  usually  of  the 
22 


170 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 


ARAB  STORY-TELLER. 


silent  kind  ;  but  sometimes  they  are  enlivened  by  the  per- 
formances of  professional  dancers,  story-tellers  and  singers. 
The  recitation  of  eastern  fables  and  tales  partakes 
somewhat  of  the  nature  of  a  dramatic  performance.  It 
is  not  merely  a  simple  narratiye ;  the  story  is  animated 
by  the  manner  and  action  of  the  speaker.  A  variety  of 
other  story  books,  besides  the  Arabian  Nights,  furnish 
materials  for  the  story-teller,  who,  by  combining  the  inci- 
dents of  different  tales,  and  varying  the  catastrophe  of 
Buch  as  he  has  related  before,  gives  them  an  air  of  novelty 
evn  to  persons  who  at  first  imagine  they  are  listening  to 
tales  with  which  they  are  acquainted.  He  recites,  walking 
to  and  fro,  stopping  only  now  and  then  when  the  expres- 
sion requires  some  emphatical  attitude.  He  is  commonly 
heard  with  great  attention;  and  not  unfrequently,  in  the 
midst  of  some  interesting  adventure,  when  the  txpectatiou 


A  TURK  AT  HOME. 


THE  TRAVELLER  IN  DAMASCUS.         173 

•f  his  audience  Is  raised  to  the  highest  pitcli,  he  breaks 
off  abruptly,  and  makes  his  escape,  leaving  both  his  he- 
roine and  his  audience  in  the  utmost  embarrassment. 
Those  who  happen  to  be  near  endeavor  to  detain  him,  in 
sisting  on  the  story  being  finished  before  he  departs ;  but 
he  always  makes  his  retreat  good ;  and  the  auditors,  sus- 
pending their  curiosity,  are  reduced  to  return  at  the  same 
hour  next  day,  to  hear  the  sequel.  He  no  sooner  has  made 
his  exit  than  the  company  in  separate  parties  fall  to  dis- 
puting about  the  characters  of  the  drama,  or  the  event  of 
the  unfinished  adventure.  The  controversy  by  degrees 
becomes  serious,  and  opposite  opinions  are  maintained 
with  no  less  warmth  than  if  the  fate  of  the  city  depended 
on  the  decision. 

The  vocal  music  to  an  European  ear,  seems  at  first  not 
less  uncouth  than  the  Arabic  language ;  and  it  seldom 
happens  that  time,  which  by  degrees  reconciles  one  to  the 
language,  does  more  for  the  music  than  to  render  it  merely 
tolerable.  There  is,  in  particular,  one  species  of  song, 
between  an  air  and  a  recitative,  named  mowal,  which  is 
universally  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  It  is  performed 
by  a  single  voice,  unaccompanied  by  instruments,  and  the 
singer  placing  a  hand  behind  each  ear,  as  if  to  save  that 
organ  from  destruction,  exerts  his  voice  to  the  utmost 
stretch.  The  subject  of  the  poetry  is  generally  of  the 
plaintive  kind.  Some  hapless  wight  laments  the  absence 
of  his  mistress — recalls  the  memory  of  happier  times, 
and  invokes  the  pale  moon,  or  the  listening  night,  to  bear 
witness  to  his  constancy.  The  performer  frequently 
makes  long  pauses,  not  only  between  the  stanzas,  which 


171  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVBL. 

are  very  short,  but  in  the  middle  of  the  line ;  and  taking 
that  opportunity  of  recovering  breath,  he  begins  anew  to 
warble,  swelling  his  notes  till  his  wind  is  quite  exhausted. 
Fond  as  the  natives  are  of  this  mowal,  there  are  few 
strangers  who  can  hear  it  with  any  patience,  or  without 
lamenting  the  perversion  of  voices,  which  often  are  strong, 
clear,  and  wonderfully  melodious. 

The  mosques  in  the  city  are  numerous,  and  the  principal 
ones  are  very  fine ;  but  they  lose  much  of  their  effect  from 
the  confined  space  in  which  they  stand.  Christians  are 
not  .allowed  to  visit  their  interior,  nor  is  it  safe  to  pause 
too  long  in  passing  before  them.  The  great  mosque  was 
once  the  cathedral  of  St.  John,  and  is  said  to  be  the  largest 
and  most  splendid  of  all  the  churches  erected  by  the  eariy 
Christians  in  this  country.  Many  of  the  mosques  were 
built  by  the  caliphs  as  mausoleums ;  they  possess  courts, 
porticoes,  and  fountains,  and  some  are  overshadowed  by 
a  few  green  trees,  among  which  sacred  doves  may  bo 
heard  cooing. 

The  great  mosque  stands  on  an  elevated  position,  nearly 
In  the  centre  of  the  city.  It  was  once  surrounded  by  an 
open  area,  but  this  is  now  so  encumbered  with  buildings 
that  the  gate  can  only  be  approached  through  a  bazaar, 
filling  up  an  arcade  of  ancient  columns,  perhaps  the  remains 
$f  a  stately  entrance. 

The  entrance  to  some  even  of  the  finest  houses  is  by  a 
low  mean-looking  door  in  a  great  blank  wall,  little  accord- 
ing with  the  luxury  and  splendor  within,  and  seeming  more 
likely  to  lead  to  a  cow-shed  than  to  a  luxurious  mansion. 
Tills  unpromising  entrance  admits  you  through  an  outer 


THE  TRAVELLER  IN  DAMASCUS.         17£ 

court,  occupied  by  the  porter  and  some  other  domestics, 
into  a  spacious  quadrangle  paved  with  marble,  in  the 
middle  of  which  a  fountain  throws  up  a  continual  shower, 
cooling  the  atmosphere,  and  refreshing  the  evergreens  and 
flowering  shrubs,  which  are  placed  around  it.  In  one 
corner  stands  a  tall  slender  pole  like  a  signal-staff,  for  the 
purpose  of  hoisting  up  an  earthern  jar  full  of  water,  which 
is  cooled  by  the  evaporation  that  takes  place  through  the 
porous  sides  of  the  vessel.  An  arcade,  supported  by  low 
slender  columns,  runs  round  the  quadrangle,  giving  ad- 
mission to  the  lower  apartments ;  these  are  elaborately 
painted  and  gilded,  and  the  cornices  are  ornamented  with 
Arabic  inscriptions.  Rich  carpets  and  deewans,  and 
cushions  of  damask  or  velvet,  embroidered  with  gold,  cover 
the  floors ;  and  china  plates,  jars,  basins,  and  bowls,  aro 
advantageously  disposed  in  niches  in  the  walls,  or  on 
shelves.  In  one  of  these  apartments  the  stranger  is  ge- 
nerally received  en  liis  first  introduction;  but  the  places 
of  common  reception  are  the  arcades,  one  of  which  is  fur- 
nished with  a  deewan,  which  is  shifted  as  the  sun  comes 
round.  Here,  as  the  Turk  reclines  upon  the  softest  cushions, 
the  mild  air  that  fans  his  cheek,  the  delightful  mellowing 
of  the  light  by  the  evergreens,  the  fragrance  of  the  blos- 
soms, and  the  splashing  of  the  fountain,  all  weave  round 
him  a  charm  of  the  most  voluptuous  repose.  Even  here 
the  same  mysterious  solitude  prevails  as  in  the  streets ; 
the  sound  of  your  own  footsteps  echoing  over  the  marble 
pavement,  seems  a  rude  intrusion  on  the  genius  of  the 
place ;  and  you  almost  fancy  yourself  in  one  of  the  en 
chanted  palaces  of  the  Arab  romances. 


176  THE  ROMANCi^  OV  TRAVr.'  . 

All  the  courts  and  the  open  rooms  are  fre(|uch  d  Ij 
swallows  and  tame  pigeons.  Towards  evening,  the  whole 
town  is  in  a  flutter  with  innumerable  flights  of  the  latter, 
on  their  return  to  roost :  men  stand  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  city  whistling  the  birds  in,  or  waving  white  pennants 
attached  to  poles  to  lure  them  to  alight,  which,  after  many 
graceful  sweeps  round  the  decoy,  they  accomplish. 

The  palaces  of  the  agas,  the  aristocracy  of  the  city, 
surpass,  in  the  splendor  of  their  internal  decorations,  any 
thing  of  the  kind  to  be  seen  elsewhere  in  the  empire,  and 
seem  to  realize  to  our  imagination  the  magnificence  of  the 
days  of  the  caliphs,  the  Saladins,  and  the  Solymans.  Many 
of  their  divans  are  fitted  up  at  immense  cost,  and  in  some 
places  there  are  as  many  as  eight  or  ten  of  these  lordly 
Halls.  One  gorgeous  apartment  in  the  house  of  Ali  Aga 
Kazini-el-Katabi  cost  upwards  of  two  hundred  thouiand 
piastres,  more  than  ten  thoilsand  dollars. 


vi-.   •      iX. 


§j)ecf^^l  ]iii|3ioif)s. 


The  following  description  of  a  certain  class  of  wonder- 
ful and  romantic  scenes  reported  by  travellers  is  from  the 
pen  of  Thomas  Milner,  M.  a.  A  series  of  curious  and 
interesting  phenomena,  involving  the  apparent  elevation 
and  approach  of  distant  objects,  the  production  of  aerial 
images  of  terrestrial  forms,  of  double  images,  their  inver- 
sion, and  distortion  into  an  endless  variety  of  grotesque 
shapes,  together  with  the  deceptive  aspect  given  to  the 
desert-landscape,  are  comprehended  in  the  class  of  optical 
illusions.     Different  varieties  of  this  singular  visual  effect 

(179) 


180  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

constitute  the  ''mirage"  of  the  French,  the  *' fata  mor 
gana"  of  the  Italians,  the  "looming"  of  our  seaman,  and 
the  "  glamur"  of  the  highlanders.  It  is  not  peculiar  tc 
any  particular  country,  though  more  common  in  some 
than  others,  and  most-  frequently  observed  near  the  mar- 
gin of  lakes  and  rivers,  by  the  sea-shore,  in  mountain  dis- 
tricts, and  on  level  plains.  These  phantoms  are  perfectly 
explicable  upon  optical  principles,  and  though  infiuenced 
by  local  combinations,  they  are  mainly  referable  to  one 
common  cause,  the  refractive  and  reflective  properties  of 
the  atmosphere,  and  inequalities  of  refraction  arising  from 
the  intermixture  of  strata  of  air  of  different  temperatures 
and  densities.  But  such  appearances  in  former  times  were 
really  converted  by  the  imagination  of  the  vulgar  intc 
supernatural  realities ;  and  hence  many  of  the  goblin 
stories  with  which  the  world  has  been  rife,  not  yet  ba 
nished  from  the  discipline  to  which  childhood  is  subject, 

"As  when  a  shepherd  of  the  Hebrid  Isles 
Placed  far  amid  the  melancholy  main, 
(Whether  it  be  lone  fancy  him  beguiles. 
Or  that  aerial  beings  sometimes  deign 
To  stand,  embodied,  to  our  senses  plain) 
Sees  on  the  naked  hill,  or  valley  low. 
The  whilst  in  ocean  Phoebus  dips  his  wain, 
A  vast  assembly  moving  to  and  fro. 
Then  all  at  once  in  air  dissolves  the  wondrous  show.'* 

Pliny  mentions  the  Scythian  regions  within  Mount 
Imaus,  and  Pomponius  Mela  those  of  Mauritania,  behind 
Mount  Atlas,  as  peculiarly  subject  to  these  spectral  ap- 


SPECTRAL  ILLUSIONS.  18*^ 

pearances.  Diodorus  Siculua  likewise  refers  to  the  re- 
gions of  Africa,  situated  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cyrene, 
as  another  chosen  site:  "  Even,"  says  he,  ''in  the  seve- 
rest weather,  there  are  sometimes  seen  in  the  air  certain 
condensed  exhalations  that  represent  the  figures  of  all 
kinds  of  animals  ;  occasionally  they  seem  to  be  motionless 
and  in  perfect  quietude ;  and  occasionally  to  be  flying ; 
while  immediately  afterwards  they  themselves  appear  to 
be  the  pursuers,  and  to  make  other  objects  fly  befor§ 
them."  Milton  might  have  had  this  passage  in  his  eye 
when  he  penned  the  allusion  to  the  same  apparition : 

"  As  when,  to  warn  proud  cities,  war  appears 
Waged  in  the  troubled  sky,  and  armies  rush 
To  battle  in  the  clouds ;  before  each  van 
Prick  forth  the  airy  knights,  and  couch  their  spears, 
Till  thickest  legions  close,  with  feats  of  arms 
From  either  side  of  heaven  the  welkin  rings." 

The  mirage  is  the  most  familliar  form  of  optical  illu- 
sion. M.  Monge,  one  of  the  French  savans,  who  accom- 
panied Bonaparte  in  his  expedition  to  Egypt,  witnessed 
a  remarkable  example.  In  the  desert  between  Alexandria 
and  Cairo,  in  all  directions  green  islands  appeared,  sur- 
rounded by  extensive  lakes  of  pure,  transparent  water. 
Nothing  could  be  conceived  more  lovely  or  picturesque 
than  the  landscape.  In  the  tranquil  surface  of  the  lakes 
the  trees  and  houses  with  which  the  islands  were  covered 
were  strongly  reflected  with  vivid  and  varied  hues,  and 
the  party  hastened  forward  to  enjoy  the  refreshments  ap- 
parently profi'ered   them.     But  when   they  arrived,  the 


184  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVKL. 

lake  on  whose  bosom  they  floated,  the  trees  am  )ng  whos6 
foliage  they  arose,  and  the  people  who  stood  on  the  shore 
inviting  their  approach,  had  all  vanished;  and  nothing 
remained  but  the  uniform  and  irksome  desert  of  sand  and 
sky,  with  a  few  naked  huts  and  ragged  Arabs.  But  for 
being  undeceived  by  an  actual  progress  to  the  spot,  one 
and  all  would  have  remained  firm  in  the  conviction  that 
these  visionary  trees  and  lakes  had  a  real  existence  in  the 
desert.  M.  Monge  attributed  the  liquid  expanse,  tataliz- 
ing  the  eye  with  an  unfaithful  representation  of  what  was 
earnestly  desired,  to  an  inverted  image  of  the  cerulean 
sky,  intermixed  with  the  ground  scenery.  This  kind  of 
mirage  is  known  in  Persia  and  Arabia  by  the  name  of 
"serab"  or  miraculous  water,  and  in  the  western  deserts 
of  India  by  that  of  ''  tcuittram,"  a  picture.  It  occurs  as 
a  common  emblem  of  disappointment  in  the  poetry  of  the 
:rientals. 

In  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  the  year  1798, 
an  account  is  given  by  W.  Latham,  Esq.,  F.  R.  S.,  of  an 
instance  of  lateral  refraction  observed  by  him,  by  which 
the  coast  of  Picardy,  with  its  more  prominent  objects, 
was  brought  apparently  close  to  that  of  Hastings.  On 
July  26th,  about  five  in  the  afternoon,  while  sitting  in 
his  dining-room,  near  the  sea-shore,  attention  was  excited 
by  a  crowd  of  people  running  down  to  the  beach.  Upon 
inquiring  the  reason,  it  appeared  that  the  coast  of  France 
was  plainly  to  be  distinguished  with  the  naked  eye.  Upon 
proceeding  to  the  shore,  he  found  that  without  the  assist- 
ance of  a  telescope,  he  could  distinctly  see  the  cliflfs  across 
the  Channel,  which,  at  the  nearest  points,  are  from  forty 


24 


SPECTRAL  ILLUSIONS.  187 

to  fifty  miles  distant,  and  are  not  to  be  discovered,  from 
that  low  situation,  bj  the  aid  of  the  best  glasses.  They 
appeared  to  be  only  a  few  miles  off,  and  seemed  to  extend 
for  some  leagues  along  the  coast.  At  first  the  sailors  and 
fishermen  could  not  be  persuaded  of  the  reality  of  the 
appearance,  but  they  soon  became  thoroughly  convinced, 
by  the  cliffs  gradually  appearing  more  elevated,  and  seem- 
ing to  approach  nearer,  that  they  were  able  to  point  out 
the  different  places  they  had  been  accustomed  to  visit, 
such  as  the  Bay,  the  Old  Head,  and  the  Windmill  at 
Boulogne,  St.  Vallery,  and  several  other  spots.  Their 
remark  was,  that  these  places  were  as  near  as  if  they  were 
sailing  at  a  small  distance  into  the  harbor.  The  appari- 
tion of  the  opposite  cliffs  varied  in  distinctness  and  appa- 
rent contiguity  for  nearly  an  hour,  but  it  was  never  out 
of  sight,  and  upon  leaving  the  beach  for  a  hill  of  some 
considerable  height,  Mr.  Latham  could  at  once  see  Dun- 
geness  and  Dover  cliff  on  each  side,  and  before  him  the 
French  coast  from  Calais  to  near  Dieppe.  By  the  tele- 
scope the  French  fishing-boats  were  clearly  seen  at  anchor, 
and  the  different  colors  of  the  land  on  the  heights,  with 
the  buildings,  were  perfectly  discernible.  The  spectacle 
continued  in  the  highest  splendor  until  past  eight  o'clock, 
though  a  black  cloud  obscured  the  face  of  the  sun  for  some 
time,  when  it  gradually  faded  away.  This  was  the  first 
time  within  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitants,  that  they 
had  ever  caught  sight  of  the  opposite  shore.  The  day  had 
been  extremely  hot,  and  not  a  breath  of  wind  had  stirred 
since  the  morning,  when  the  small  pennons  at  the  mast- 
heads of  the  fishing-boats  in  the  harbor  had  been  at  all 


188  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

points  of  the  compass.  Professor  Vince  witnessed  a  similar 
apparent  approximation  of  the  coast  of  France  to  that  of 
Ramsgate,  for  at  the  very  edge  of  the  water  be  discerned 
the  Calais  cliffs  a  very  considerable  height  above  the  ho- 
.izon,  whereas  they  are  frequently  not  to  be  seen  in  clear 
weather  from  the  high  lands  above  the  town.  A  much 
greater  breadth  of  coast  also  appeared  than  is  usually  ob- 
served under  the  most  favorite  circumstances.  The  or- 
dinary refractive  power  of  the  atmosphere  is  thus  liable 
to  be  strikingly  altered  by  a  change  of  temperature  and 
humidity,  so  that  a  hill  which  at  one  time  appears  low, 
may  at  another  be  seen  towering  aloft ;  and  a  city  in  a 
neighboring  valley,  may  from  a  certain  station  be  entirely 
invisible,  or  it  may  show  the  tops  of  its  buildings,  just  as 
if  its  foundations  had  been  raised,  according  to  the  condi- 
tion of  the  aerial  medium  between  it  and  the  spectator. 

Of  all  instance  of  spectral  illusion,  the  fata  morgana, 
familiar  to  the  inhabitants  of  Sicily,  is  the  most  curious 
and  striking.  It  occurs  off  the  Pharo  of  Messina,  in  the 
strait  which  separates  Sicily  from  Calabria,  and  has  been 
variously  described  by  different  observers,  owing,  doubt- 
less, to  the  different  conditions  of  the  atmosphere  at  the 
respective  times  of  observation.  The  spectacle  consist^} 
in  the  images  of  men,  cattle,  houses,  rocks,  and  trees, 
pictured  upon  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  in  the  air 
immediately  over  the  water,  as  if  called  into  existence  by 
an  enchanter's  wand,  the  same  object  having  frequently 
two  images,  one  in  the  natural  and  the  other  in  an  in- 
verted position.  A  combination  of  circumstances  must 
concur  to  produce  this  novel  panorama.     The  spectator, 


JyPECTRAL  ILLUSIONS.  191 

Standing  with  his  back  to  the  east  on  an  elevated  place, 
commands  a  view  of  the  strait.  No  wind  must  be 
abroad  to  ruffle  the  surface  of  the  sea ;  and  the  waters 
must  be  pressed  up  by  currents,  which  is  occasionally  the 
case,  to  a  considerable  height,  in  the  middle  of  the  strait, 
so  that  they  may  present  a  slight  convex  surface.  When 
these  conditions  are  fulfilled,  and  the  sun  has  risen  over 
the  Calabrian  heights  so  as  to  make  an  angle  of  forty- 
five  degrees  with  the  horizon,  the  various  objects  on  the 
shore  at  Reggio,  opposite  to  Messina,  are  transferred  to 
the  middle  of  the  strait,  forming  an  immovable  landscape 
of  rocks,  trees,  and  houses,  and  a  movable  one  of  men, 
horses,  and  cattle,  upon  the  surface  of  the  water.  If  the 
atmosphere,  at  the  same  time,  is  highly  charged  with  vapor, 
the  phenomena  apparent  on  the  water  will  also  be  visible 
in  the  air,  occupying  a  space  which  extends  from  the  sur- 
face to  the  height  of  about  twenty-five  feet.  Two  kinds 
of  morgana  may  therefore  be  discriminated ;  the  first,  at 
the  surface  of  the  sea,  or  the  marine  morgana ;  the  second, 
in  the  air,  or  the  aerial.  The  term  applied  to  this  strange 
exhibition  is  of  uncertain  derivation,  but  supposed  by  some 
to  refer  to  the  vulgar  presumption  of  the  spectacle  being 
produced  by  a  fairy  or  magician.  The  populace  are  said 
to  hail  the  vision  with  great  exultation,  calling  every  one 
abroad  to  partake  of  the  sight,  with  the  cry  of  "  Morgana, 
morgana !" 

Aerial  images  of  terrestrial  objects  are  frequently  pro- 
duced as  the  simple  effects  of  reflection.  Dr.  Buchan 
mentions  the  following  occurrence :  ''  Walking  on  the 
cliff  about  a  mile  to  the  east  of  Brighton,  on  the  morning 


10^  THE  KOMANCB  OF  TRAVEL. 

of  the  18th  of  November,  1804,  while  watching  the  rising 
of  the  sun,  I  turned  my  eyes  directly  to  the  sea,  just  as 
the  solar  disk  emerged  from  the  surface  of  the  water,  and 
law  the  face  of  the  cliff  on  which  I  was  standing  repre- 
sented precisely  opposite  to  me,  at  some  distance  from  the 
ocean.  Calling  the  attention  of  my  companion  to  this 
appearance,  we  soon  also  discovered  our  own  figures 
standing  on  the  summit  of  the  opposite  apparent  cliff,  aa 
well  as  the  representation  of  a  windmill,  near  at  hand. 
The  reflected  images  were  most  distinct  precisely  opposite 
to  where  we  stood ;  and  the  false  cliff  seemed  to  fade  away, 
and  to  draw  near  to  the  real  one,  in  proportion  as  it  receded 
toward  the  west.  This  phenomena  lasted  about  ten  mi- 
nutes, till  the  sun  had  risen  nearly  his  own  diameter  above 
the  sea.  The  whole  then  seemed  to  be  elevated  into  the 
air,  and.  successively  disappeared.  The  surface  of  the  sea 
was  covered  with  a  dense  fog  of  many  yards  in  height,  and 
which  gradually  receded  before  the  rays  of  the  sun.*'  In 
December,  1836,  a  similar  circumstance  excited  some  con- 
sternation among  the  parishoners  of  Mique  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Poitiers,  in  France.  They  were  engaged  in 
the  exercises  of  the  jubilee  which  preceded  the  festival  >f 
Christmas,  and  about  three  thousand  persons  from  the  sur- 
rounding parishes  were  assembled.  At  five  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  when  one  of  the  clergy  was  addressing  the  mul- 
titude, and  reminding  them  of  the  cross  which  appeared 
in  the  sky  to  Constantino  and  his  army,  suddenly  a  simi- 
lar cross  appeared  in  the  heavens,  just  before  the  porch 
i>f  the  church,  about  two  hundred  feet  above  the  horizon, 
and  a  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  length,  of  a  bright  silvei 


/  ^.\  ''\ 


W<^U:1V 


LOOHINO  UP.      DOUBLE  IMAQB. 


25 


SPECTRAL  ILLUSIONS.  196 

color  tinged  with  rod,  and  perfectly  well  defined.  Such 
was  the  effect  of  this  vision,  that  the  people  immediately 
threw  themselves  upon  their  knees,  and  united  togetlier  in 
one  of  their  canticles.  The  fact  was,  that  a  large  wooden 
cross,  twenty-five  feet  high,  had  been  erected  beside  the 
church  as  a  part  of  the  ceremony,  the  figure  of  which  was 
formed  in  the  air,  and  reflected  back  to  the  eyes  of  the 
spectators,  retaining  exactly  the  same  sliape  and  propor- 
tions, but  changed  in  position  and  dilated  in  size.  Its  red 
tinge  was  also  the  color  of  the  object  of  which  it  was  the 
reflected  image.  When  the  rays  of  the  sun  were  withdrawn 
the  figure  vanished. 

The  peasantry  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Ilartz  Moun- 
tains formerly  stood  in  no  little  awe  of  the  gigantic  Spectre 
of  the  Brocken — the  figure  of  a  man  observed  to  walk  the 
clouds  over  the  ridge  at  sunrise.  This  apparition  has  long 
been  resolved  into  an  exaggerated  reflection,  which  makes 
the  traveller's  shadow,  pictured  upon  the  clouds,  appear  a 
colossal  figure  of  immense  dimensions.  A  French  savan, 
attended  by  a  friend,  went  to  watch  tliis  spectral  shape, 
but  for  many  mornings  they  traversed  an  opposite  ridge 
in  vain.  At  length,  however,  it  was  discovered,  having 
also  a  companion,  and  both  figures  were  found  imitating 
all  the  motions  of  the  philosopher  and  his  friend. 

The  ancient  classical  fable  of  Niobe  on  Mount  Sipylus 
belongs  to  the  same  category  of  atmospheric  deceptions , 
and  the  tales,  common  in  mountainous  countries,  of  troops 
of  horse  and  armies  marching  and  countermarching  in  the 
air,  have  been  only  the  reflection  of  horses  pasturing  upon 
an  opposite  height,  or  of  the  forms  of  travellers  pursuing 


196  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

their  journey.  On  the  19th  of  August,  1820,  Mr.  Men- 
zies,  a  surgeon  of  Glasgow,  and  Mr.  Magregor  began  to 
ascend  the  mountain  of  Ben  Lomond,  about  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  before 
they  were  overtaken  by  a  shower;  but  as  it  appeared  to 
be  only  partial,  they  continued  their  journey,  and  by  the 
time  they  were  half  way  up,  the  cloud  passed  away,  and 
most  delightful  weather  succeeded.  Thin,  transparent 
vapors,  which  appeared  to  have  risen  from  Loch  Lomond 
beneath,  were  occasionally  seen  floating  before  a  gentle 
and  refreshing  breeze ;  in  other  respects,  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  trace,  the  sky  was  clear,  and  the  atmosphere 
serene.  They  reached  the  summit  about  half-past  seven 
o'clock,  in  time  to  see  the  sun  sinking  beneath  the  wes- 
tern bills.  Its  parting  beams  had  gilded  the  mountain 
tops  with  a  Tarm  glowing  color ;  and  the  surface  of  the 
lake,  gently  rippling  with  the  breeze,  was  tinged  with  a 
yellow  lustre.  While  admiring  the  adjacent  mountains, 
hills,  and  valleys,  and  the  expanse  of  water  beneath,  in 
terspersed  with  numerous  wooded  islands,  the  attentior 
of  one  of  the  party  was  attracted  by  a  cloud  in  the  east, 
partly  of  a  dark  red  color,  apparently  at  the  distance  of 
two  miles  and  a  half,  in  which  he  distinctly  observed  two 
gigantic  figures,  standing,  as -it  were,  on  a  majestic  pedes- 
tal. He  immediately  pointed  put  the  phenomenon  to  his 
companion ;  and  they  distinctly  perceived  one  of  the  gi- 
gantic figures,  in  imitation,  strike  the  other  on  the  shoulder, 
and  point  towards  them.  They  then  made  their  obeisance 
to  the  airy  phantoms,  which  was  instantly  returned.  They 
waved  their  hats  and  umbrellas,  and  the  shadowy  figures 


BPBOTRAL  ILLUSIONS.  199 

did  the  same.  Like  other  travellers,  they  had  carried 
with  them  a  bottle  of  usquebaugh,  and  amused  themselves 
in  drinking  to  the  figures,  which  was  of  course  duly  re- 
turned. In  short,  every  movement  which  they  made,  they 
could  observe  distinctly  repeated  by  the  figures  in  the 
cloud.  The  appearance  continued  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  A  gentle  breeze  from  the  north  carried  the  cloud 
slowly  away ;  the  figures  became  less  and  less  distinct, 
and  at  last  vanished. 

North  of  the  village  of  Comrie,  in  Perthshire,  there  is 
a  bold  hill  called  Dunmore,  with  a  pillar  of  seventy  or 
eighty  feet  in  height  built  on  its  summit,  in  memory  of 
the  late  Lord  Melville.  At  about  eight  o'clock  of  the 
evening  on  the  21st  of  August,  1846,  a  perfect  image  of 
the  well-known  hill  and  obelisk,  as  exactly  as  the  shadow 
usually  represents  the  substance,  was  distinctly  observed 
projecting  on  the  northern  sky,  at  least  two  miles  beyond 
the  original,  which,  owing  to  an  intervening  eminence^ 
was  not  itself  at  all  in  view  from  the  station  where  the 
aerial  picture  was  observed.  The  figure  continued  visible 
for  about  ten  minutes  after  it  was  first  seen,  and  was  mi- 
nutely examined  by  three  individuals.  One  of  these  fan- 
cied that  there  was  a  projection  at  the  base  of  the  monu- 
ment, as  represented  in  the  air,  which  was  not  in  the 
original ;  but,  upon  examining  the  latter  the  n  «xt  morn- 
ing, the  image  was  found  to  have  been  more  faithful  than 
his  memory ;  for  there  stood  the  prototype  of  the  projec- 
tion, in  the  shape  of  a  clump  of  trees,  at  the  base  of  tlie 
real  obelisk. 

In  northern  latitudes  the  effect  of  atmospheric  reflection 


%0  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

And  refraction  are  very  familiar  to  the  natives.  By  tL^; 
term  "uphillanger,"  the  Icelanders  denote  the  elevation 
of  distant  objects,  which  is  regarded  as  a  presage  of  fine 
weather.  Not  only  is  there  an  increace  in  the  vertical 
dimensions  of  the  objects  affected,  so  that  low  coasts  fre- 
quently assume  a  bold  and  precipitous  outline,  the  objects 
gunk  below  the  horizon  are  brought  into  view,  with  their 
natural  position  changed  and  distorted. 

In  1818,  Captain  Scoresby  relates  that,  when  in  the 
polar  sea,  his  ship  had  been  separated  for  some  time  from 
that  of  his  father,  which  he  had  been  looking  out  for  with 
great  anxiety.  At  length,  one  evening,  to  his  astonish- 
ment, he  beheld  the  vessel  suspended  in  the  air  in  an  in- 
verted position,  with  the  most  distinct  and  perfect  repre- 
sentation. Sailing  in  the  direction  of  this  visionary  ap- 
pearance, he  met  with  the  real  ship  by  this  indication.  It 
was  found  that  the  ship  had  been  thirty  miles  distant,  and 
seventeen  beyond  the  horizon,  when  her  spectrum  was 
;hus  elevated  into  the  air  by  this  extraordinary  refraction. 

Sometimes  two  images  of  a  vessel  are  seen,  the  one 
erect  and  the  other  inverted,  with  their  topmasts  or  their 
hulls  meeting,  according  as  the  inverted  image  is  above 
or  below  the  other.  Dr.  Wollaston  has  shown  that  the 
production  of  these  images  is  owing  to  the  refraction  of 
the  rays  through  media  of  different  densities.  Looking 
along  a  red-hot  poker  at  a  distant  object,  two  images  of  it 
were  seen,  one  erect  and  the  other  inverted,  arising  from 
the  change  produced  by  the  heat  in  the  density  of  the  air. 
A  singular  instance  of  lateral  mirage  was  noticed  upon 
Ub)  Lake  of  Geneva,  by  MM.  Jurine  and  Soret,  in  the 


SPECTRAL  ILLUSIONS.  20  J 

year  of  1818.  A  bark  near  Bellerire  was  seen  approach- 
ing to  the  city  by  the  left  bank  of  the  lake  ;  and  at  the  same 
time  an  image  of  the  sails  was  observed  above  the  water, 
which,  instead  of  following  the  direction  of  the  bark,  sepa- 
rated from  it,  and  appeared  approaching  by  the  right 
bank — the  image  moving  from  east  to  west,  and  the  bark 
from  north  to  south.  When  the  image  separated  from 
the  vessel,  it  was  of  the  same  dimensions  as  the  bark; 
but  it  diminished  as  it  receded  from  it,  so  as  to  be  reduced 
to  one-half  when  the  appearance  ceased.  This  was  a 
jftriking  example  of  refraction,  operating  in  a  lateral  as 
ffdl  as  a  vertical  direction. 

Ignis  Fatwis,  This  wandering  meteor  known  to  the 
Tulgar  as  the  Will-o' -the- Wisp,  has  given  rise  to  conside- 
rable speculation  and  controversy.  Burying-grounds,  fields 
of  battle,  low  meadows,  valleys,  and  marshes,  are  its  ordi- 
nary haunts.  By  some  eminent  naturalists,  particularly 
Willoughby  and  Ray,  it  has  been  maintained  to  be  only 
the  shining  of  a  great  number  of  the  male  glow-worms  in 
England,  and  the  pyraustae  in  Italy,  flying  together — an 
opinion  to  which  Mr.  Kirby,  the  entomologist,  inclines.  The 
luminosities  observed  in  several  cases  may  have  been  due 
to  this  cause,  but  the  true  meteor  of  the  marshes  cannot 
thus  be  explained.  The  following  instance  is  abridged 
from  the  Entomological  Magazine  : — "  Two  travellers  pro 
ceeding  across  the  moors  between  Hexham  and  Alston 
were  startled,  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  by  the  suddei 
appearance  of  a  light  close  to  the  road-side,  about  the  size 
of  the  hand,  and  of  o.  well-defined  oval  form.  Tie  place 
t*»s  very  wet,  and  the  peat-moss  had  been  dug  out,  leaving 

26 


202  THH  ROMANCE  OP  TRAVEL. 

what  are  locally  termed  "peat-pots,"  which  soon  fill  with 
water,  nourishing  a  number  of  confervse,  and  the  various 
species  of  sphagnum,  which  are  converted  into  peat.  During 
the  process  of  decomposition  these  places  give  out  large 
quantities  of  gas.  The  light  was  about  three  feet  from  the 
ground,  hovering  over  the  peat-pots,  and  it  moved  nearly 
parallel  with  the  road  for  about  fifty  yards,  when  it  va- 
nished, probably  from  the  failure  of  the  gas.  The  manner 
in  which  it  disappeared  was  similar  to  that  of  a  candh 
being  blown  out."  We  have  the  best  account  of  it  from 
Mr.  Blesson,  who  examined  it  abroad  with  great  care  and 
diligence. 

"The  first  time,"  he  states,  "I  saw  the  ignis  fatuus 
was  in  a  valley  in  the  forest  of  Gorbitz,  in  the  New  Mark. 
This  valley  cuts  deeply  in  compact  loam,  and  is  marshy 
in  its  lower  part.  The  water  of  the  marsh  is  ferruginous., 
and  covered  with  an  iridescent  crust.  During  the  day 
bubbles  of  air  were  seen  rising  from  it,  and  in  the  night 
blue  flames  were  observed  shooting  from  and  playing  ovei 
its  surface.  As  I  suspected  there  was  some  connection 
between  these  flames  and  the  bubbles  of  air,  I  marked 
during  the  day-time  the  place  where  the  latter  rose  up 
most  abundantly,  and  repaired  thither  during  the  night  ; 
to  my  great  joy  I  actually  observed  bluish-purple  flames, 
and  did  not  hesitate  to  approach  them.  On  reaching  the 
spot  they  retired,  and  I  pursued  them  in  vain  ;  all  attempts 
to  examine  them  were  ineff*ectual.  Some  days  of  veiy 
rainy  wisather,  prevented  further  investigation,  but  afibrded 
leisure  for  reflecting  on  their  nature.  I  conjectured  that 
the  m(^*:ion  of  the  air,  on  my  approaching  the  spot,  forced 


fil»£OTRAL  ILLUSIONS. 


2(n 


forward  the  burning  gas,  and  remarked  that  the  flame 
burned  darker  when  it  was  blown  aside  ;  hence  I  concluded 
that  a  continuous  thin  stream  of  inflammable  air  was  formed 
by  these  bubbles,  which,  once  inflamed,  continued  to  burn, 
but  which,  owing  to  the  paleness  of  the  light  of  the  flame, 
could  not  be  observed  during  the  day. 

The  ignis  fatuus  of  the  church-yard  and  the  battle-field 
arise  from  the  phosphuretted  hydrogen  emitted  by  animal 
matter  in  a  state  of  putrefaction,  which  always  inflameg 
upon  contact  with  the  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere  ;  and  the 
flickering  meteor  of  the  marsh  may  be  referred  to  the  car* 
buretted  hydrogen,  formed  by  the  decomposition  of  vege- 
table matter  in  stagnant  water,  ignited  by  a  discharge  of 
the  electric  fluid.    • 


ITALIAN  COSTUMES. 


Among  romantic  adventures  of  travellers  those  with 
the  Italian  banditti  hold  a  distinguished  place.  These 
robbers  appear  to  have  infested  Italy  for  many  centuries. 
Marco  Sciarra,  a  very  famous  one,  flourished  between 
three  and  four  hundred  years  ago.  He  commanded  a 
numerous  band.  Favored  by  his  position  in  the  moun- 
tains of  the  the  Abruzzi,  and  on  the  confines  of  another 
government — the  Papal  States,  which  for  many  yearg 
have  been  the  promised  land  of  brigandism — this  extra- 
ordinary robber  attained  the  highest  eminence  in  his  pro- 
(204) 


MARCO  SCIARRA  AND  TAS80. 


DEATH  OF  MARCO  SCIARRA. 


IHAVELLERS  AND  ITALIAN  BANDITTI,  207 

fession.  His  band,  so  formidable  in  itself,  always  acted 
in  concert  with  other  bands  of  banditti  in  the  Roman 
States ;  they  aided  each  other  by  arms  and  council ;  and 
in  case  of  the  Romans  being  pressed  on  their  side,  they 
could  always  retreat  across  the  frontier  line  to  their  allies 
in  the  Abruzzi,  while,  in  the  same  predicament,  the  Ab- 
ruzzese  could  claim  the  hospitality  of  the  worthy  subjects 
of  the  Pope, 

The  same  circumstances  have  strengthened  the  banditti 
in  our  own  days,  and  rendered  the  country  between  Ter- 
racina  and  Fondi,  or  the  frontiers  of  the  Papal  States,  and 
the  kingdom  of  Naples,  the  most  notorious  district  of  all 
Italy  for  robbers. 

But  Marco  Sciarra  was  moreover  favored  by  other  cir- 
cumstances, and  he  had  the  grasp  of  mind  to  comprehend 
their  importance,  to  avail  himself  of  them,  and  to  raise 
himself  to  the  grade  of  a  political  partizan — perhaps  he 
aimed  at  that  of  a  patriot.  His  native  country  was  in 
the  hands  of  foreigners,  and  most  despotically  governed 
by  viceroys  from  Spain,  who  were  generally  detested  by 
the  people,  and  frequently  plotted  against  by  the  nobility, 
who,  instead  of  assisting  to  put  down  the  foreigners, 
would  afford  them  countenance  and  protection,  when  re- 
quired, in  their  vast  and  remote  estates.  A  great  part 
of  the  rest  of  Italy  was  almost  as  badly  governed  as  the 
kingdom,  and  consequently  full  of  malcontents,  of  men  of 
desperate  fortunes,  who,  in  many  instances,  forwarded  the 
operations  of  the  robbers,  and  not  unfrequently  joined  their 
bands.     An  accession  like  theirs  added  intelligence,  mili- 


?.Qb  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

tary  skifl.  and  political  knowledge,  to  the  cause  of  the  rude 
mountaineers  of  the  Abruzzi. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  months  after  the  death  of  Bene 
ietto  Mangone,  Marco  Sciarra  had  committed  such  ravages, 
and  made  himself  so  formidable,  that  the  whole  care  of  the 
government  was  absorbed  by  him,  .and  every  means  in  its 
power  employed  for  his  destruction. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  robber-chief's  life  was 
ornamented  with  its  brightest  episode.  Marco  and  his 
merry  men  had  come  suddenly  on  a  company  of  travellers 
on  the  road  between  Rome  and  Naples.  The  robbers  had 
begun  to  plunder,  and  cut  the  saddle-girths  of  the  mules 
and  horses  of  the  travellers,  who  had  speedily  obeyed  the 
robbers'  order,  and  lay  flat  on  the  earth,  all  save  one,  a 
man  of  a  striking  and  elegant  appearance. 

"  Faccia  in  terra  !'*  cried  several  of  the  robbers  in  the 
same  breath,  but  the  bold  man,  heedless  of  their  menaces, 
only  stepped  up  to  Marco,  their  chief,  and  said,  "  I  am 
Torquato  Tasso."  ''The  poet !"  said  the  robber,  and  he 
dropped  on  his  knee,  and  kissed  his  hand ;  and  not  only 
was  Tasso  saved  from  being  plundered  by  the  mere  men- 
don  of  his  name,  but  all  those  who  were  travelling  with 
liim  were  permitted  to  mount  their  horses  and  continue 
their  journey  without  sustaining  the  loss  of  a  single  scudo., 
A  very  curious  proof  this,  that  a  captain  of  banditti  could 
form  a  juster  and  more  generous  notion  of  what  was  due 
to  the  immortal,  but  then  unf<r  rtunate  poet,  than  could 
princes  of  the  royal  or  imperial  lineage. 

After  these  transactions,  and  others  of  a  similar  cha 


27 


TRAVELLERS  AND  ITALIAN  BANDITTI.  211 

racter,  Marco  was  received  into  the  service  of  Venice,  a 
commander  of  mercenary  soldiers. 

But  the  expatriating  bandit  left  a  brother  behind  him 
m  the  mountains  of  the  Abruzzi ;  and  Luca  Sciarra,  in 
due  time,  gathered  together  the  scattered  bands,  and  com- 
menced operations  anew  with  considerable  vigor.  Mean- 
while Marco  and  his  men,  who  in  the  quality  of  subsidia- 
ries served  the  Venitian  government  very  much  to  its 
satisfaction,  corresponded  with  their  former  comrades  at 
home.  Marco's  glory  could  not  be  forgotten  !  The  soul 
of  their  body  was  at  Venice — every  thing  of  importance 
was  fomented  by  him,  and  he  frequently  employed  his 
"leave  of  absence'*  in  visiting  them,  and  leading  them,  as 
of  yore,  in  the  more  hazardous  of  their  enterprises. 

He  had  now  been  heard  of  so  long — his  deeds  had  been 
60  desperate  but  successful,  he  had  escaped  so  many 
dangers,  that  people  concluded  he  must  bear  a  "  charmed 
life."  His  long  impunity  might  almost  have  made  him 
think  so  himself,  when,  landing  one  day  in  the  marshes 
of  Ancona,  between  the  mountains  of  the  Abruzzi  and 
that  town,  where  the  Pope's  commissary  Aldobrandini 
still  remained,  he  was  met  by  a  certain  Battimello,  to 
whom,  as  to  an  old  follower,  his  heart  warmed — with  open 
arms  he  rushed  to  embrace  him — and  received  a  traitor's 
dagger  in  his  heart. 

Battimello  had  sold  himself  to  Aldobrandini,  and  received 
for  himself  and  thirteen  of  his  friends,  a  free  pardon  from 
the  Papal  Government  for  his  treachery. 

For  some  years  after  the  death  of  Marco  Sciarra,  there 
was  a  pause  in  his  profession,  whose  spirit  ha^i  expired 


212  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

with  him.  Other  times  brought  other  robbers,  but  his  fame 
has  scarcely  ever  been  equalled — never  surpassed. 

During  the  time  when  Italy  was  under  the  government 
of  Murat,  a  French  oflScer  was  engaged  in  suppressing 
brigandage,  and  he  afterwards  wrote  a  scries  of  letters 
describing  his  service,  which  were  ultimately  published  in 
French  and  English.  One  of  his  adventures  will  show 
the  kind  of  difficulties  with  which  he  had  to  contend. 
The  commandant,  the  author  of  the  letters,  and  the  other 
French  officers  had  all  become  acquainted  at  Rossano  with 
a  little  Calabrian.  This  friend  and  confidant  was  an  ec- 
clesiastic— a  jolly  abbot,  round-paunched,  animated,  intel- 
ligent, and  amusing.  He  was  on  such  very  friendly  terms 
with  them,  indeed,  that  he  accompanied  them  to  Longo 
Bucco ;  for  it  was  understood  he  possessed  a  perfect  know- 
ledge of  the  country,  and  he  had  offered  to  render  them 
every  service  in  his  power.  By  the  management  of  some 
trifling  affairs,  in  which  he  showed  considerable  zeal  and 
talent,  the  little  rogue  gained  the  heart  and  the  entire 
confidence  of  the  commandant,  whose  mind  was  still  set  on 
getting  two  leaders  of  certain  late  movements  of  the 
robbers  into  his  hands. 

One  morning  the  wily  monk  told  him,  he  was  the  man 
who  would  do  this,  if  the  commandant  would  but  entrust 
him  with  the  charge  of  a  detachment.  He  knew  the 
obnoxious  individual  to  be  concealed  at  a  farm-house  not 
many  leagues  from  the  spot,  and  all  that  he  required  for 
his  own  personal  safety,  was  to  be  allowed  to  march  in 
the  French  ranks  disguised  as  a  soldier. 

The  commandant,  far    from    expecting    any  perfidy^ 


THE  ABB(  I'  AND  THE  FRENCH  SOLDIERS. 


DON  CIRO  S  SIEOE. 


TRAVBLLEllS  Ax\D  ITALIAK  BANDITTI.  215 

eagerly  adopted  a  project  which  presented  great  chances 
of  success.  Behold  us,  says  the  oflScer,  then  transforming 
our  little  abbot  into  a  soldier,  (the  abbot  must  have  laughed 
at  them  in  his  sleeve,)  laughing  most  heartily  at  this  mas- 
querade scene.  No  part  of  the  uniform  belonging  to  the 
lowest-sized  voltigeur  could  be  found  to  fit  him.  The  great 
coat  trailed  down  to  his  heels,  the  schakos  covered  his  ears, 
the  cartouch-box  descended  to  his  hams,  and  he  bent  under 
the  weight  of  the  musket,  which  his  delicate  hands  scarcely 
dared  to  touch.  Every  thing,  however,  was  soon  adjusted 
for  him,  and  the  wag,  completely  disguised,  set  off'  in  high 
glee,  with  a  detachment  of  five-and-twenty  men,  under 
the  command  of  an  officer.  After  leading  our  soldiers  from 
village  to  village,  through  dreary  fastnesses  and  in  dread- 
ful weather,  and  after  making  them  lie  concealed  for  a 
whole  day  in  a  wood,  he  suddenly  resumed  his  monk's 
dress,  under  the  pretence  that  he  was  going  to  look  out 
for  some  information,  and  disappeared — never  to  return. 
It  was  soon  ascertained  that  this  ingenious  abbot  had 
assumed  this  masquerade,  and  borne  these  military  fatigues, 
for  the  sole  object  of  levying  contributions,  in  the  com- 
mandant's name,  on  all  the  most  wealthy  proprietors,  of 
the  neighborhood.  Our  author  of  the  letters  was  ex  eedingly 
indignant  at  this ;  and  yet,  perhaps,  the  abbot  had  only 
been  seduced  by  the  force  of  French  example,  and  had  not 
the  "  rare  honesty"  to  see  their  *'  swarms  of  subordinate 
employees'*  running  about  the  country,  ''  raising  taxes  in 
every  possible  manner,"  without  the  wish  and  the  attempt 
to  go  and  do  likewise.  The  narrator  of  the  very  amusing 
Btory  adds,  "  The  indignation  of  the  commandant  and 


216  THE  ROMANCE  OF  T]RAVEL. 

officer  who  ivent  with  the  detachment  may  easily  be  ima 
gined,  since  their  honor  might  be  compromised  under  cir- 
cmnstances  of  such  vile  deception.  "  The  description  of  the 
arrant  knave  has  been  sent  about  in  all  directions,  and  woe 
be  to  him  if  he  should  fall  into  our  hands.'*  The  abbot, 
of  course,  was  no  such  fool.  We  hear  no  more  about  him 
from  the  French  officer. 

Sometimes  these  Italian  banditti  are  collected  in  such 
numerous  bands  that  a  large  military  force  is  required  to 
take  them,  and  occasionally  they  occupy  a  strong  building 
and  stand  a  siege. 

We  quote  from  the  life  of  Don  Giro,  called  the  priest 
robber,  an  account  of  an  occurrence  of  this  last  description. 
Our  extract  commences,  rather  abruptly,  as  follows : 

Don  Giro  had  now  been  missing  for  six  or  seven  days ; 
not  a  word  had  been  heard  of  him  since  his  escape  from 
San  Marzano,  but  the  general  fancying  he  could  not  be 
far  off,  and  that  he  was  still  in  intimate  correspondence 
with  some  individuals  in  that  town,  threatened  it  with 
plunder  and  destruction,  unless  its  inhabitants  enabled 
him  to  secure  the  person  of  the  robber-priest  within  eight 
days.  Trembling  for  their  houses  and  property,  the  mi- 
litia of  San  Marzano  then  undertook  to  pursue  Don  Giro, 
and  on  the  6th  of  February  they  beset  him  in  the  masse  • 
rm,  or  farm-house,  of  Scaserba,  not  above  ten  miles  from 
Ghurch's  quarters  at  Francavilla. 

The  masserie  in  Apulia  and  the  provinces  of  Bari,  Ta- 
ranto,  and  Otranto,  are  all  built  on  the  same  plan,  and 
are  very  capable  of  defence.  The  word  is  not  rendered 
by  '-farm-house,"  whicli  gives  but  an  inadequate  idea  0/ 


28 


TRAVELLERS  AND  ITALIAN  BANDITTI.  219 

tho  raasseria.  They  date  from  the  period  when  the  incur- 
gions  of  the  Turks  and  pirates  were  apprehended,  and  when 
tlie  country  people  shut  themselves  up  in  their  strongholds 
with  their  cattle  and  most  valuable  effects,  in  order  to 
secure  themselves  from  attack.  A  square  wall  of  inclo- 
Bure,  sufficiently  high  and  solid,  generally  surrounds  the 
dwelling-house,  built  against  one  side,  and  containing 
three  or  four  large  habitable  rooms,  and  sometimes  a  small 
chapel.  The  vast  stables,  granaries,  and  out-houses, 
within  the  walls,  form  a  right  angle  with  this  dwelling- 
house,  but  without  touching  it.  In  the  midst  of  the  in- 
closure,  at  some  distance  from  the  surrounding  wall,  rises 
a  round  or  square  tower  of  two  stories,  standing  quite 
alone.  The  ascent  to  the  upper  story  is  either  by  stone 
steps,  inserted  in  the  tower,  by  a  drawbridge,  or  by  a 
ladder  easily  drawn  up  into  the  tower.  This  description 
will  enable  the  reader  to  understand  how  Don  Ciro  could 
make  so  long  a  resistance  in  the  masseria  of  Scaserba. 

He  had  arrived  at  this  lonely  place  with  some  of  his 
comrades,  worn  out  with  fatigue,  and  had  thought  he 
could  venture  to  repose  himself  there  for  a  few  hours.  It 
was  said  that  he  had  previously  provided  Scaserba  and 
many  other  lonely  masserie  of  the  district  with  arms,  am- 
munition, and  some  provisions.  He  was  surprised  at  the 
sudden  and  hostile  apparition  of  the  militia  of  San  Mar- 
zano,  bat  not  at  all  alarmed,  making  sure  he  could  cut  his 
way  through  them  whenever  he  chose.  Had  he  rushed 
out  at  once  he  might  have  done  so.  He  coolly  staid  where 
he  was,  and  let  them  form  before  the  gate  of  the  masseria. 
So  strong  was  his  spell  on  the  minds  of  these  men,  that 


220  THE  ROMANCE  OP  TRAVEL. 

for  a  long  time  tliey  hesitated  to  approacli  witliin  range 
of  his  never-erring  musket — the  first  that  did  so,  he  sliot 
dead  from  the  outer  walls.  This  delay,  however,  cost 
him  dear.  The  militia  of  San  Marzano,  though  n.>t 
brave,  were  this  time  in  earnest,  and  having  sent  infor- 
mation to  Lieutenant  Fonsmorte,  stationed  at  the  Castelli, 
a  position  between  Grottaglie  and  Francavilla,  that  officer 
hastened  to  the  spot,  with  forty  men  of  regular  troops. 
As  this  force  came  in  sight  on  the  edge  of  the  plain,  Don 
Giro  bit  his  thumb  until  it  bled,  for  he  understood  that  a 
vigorous  attack  was  to  be  made,  and  retreat  was  now 
hopeless.  He  soon,  however,  recovered  his  presence  of 
mind,  and  locking  up  the  poor  people  of  the  masseria  in 
the  straw-magazine,  and  putting  the  key  in  his  pocket, 
he  retired  with  his  desperate  followers  to  the  tower.  Hav- 
ing ascended  to  the  upper  story,  they  drew  in  the  laddei* 
after  them,  and  proceeded  to  load  all  their  guns,  of  which 
they  had  a  good  number. 

It  was  now  evening ;  the  darkness  of  night  soon  suc- 
ceeded the  brief  twilight  of  the  south.  That  night  must 
have  been  a  sleepless  one  for  Don  Giro,  though  no  at- 
tempt was  made  at  storming  his  stronghold.  The  morn- 
ing dawn,  however,  afforded  him  no  comfort,  for  Gaptain 
Corsi  had  arrived  from  Francavilla  with  a  detachment  of 
gens-d'armcs,  and  soon  after  Major  Bianchi  came  to  the 
field  with  other  reinforcements ! 

The  siege  of  Scaserba  was  now  formed  by  one  hundred 
and  thirty-two  soldiers ;  the  militia,  on  whom  little  de- 
pendence was  placed,  being  stationed  in  the  second  lin«, 
and  at  some  distance. 


HAHAN  BRIGAND. 


TRAVELLEllS  AND  ITALIAN  BANDITTI,  223 

Don  Giro  vigorously  defended  the  outer  walls  and  the  ap- 
proaches to  his  tower  from  sun-rise  to  sun-set.  In  the  night 
he  attempted  to  escape,  but  the  neighing  of  horses  made 
him  suspect  that  some  cavalry  had  arrived,  whose  pursuit 
it  would  be  impossible  to  elude,  and  he  saw  piquets  all  round 
the  masseria.  He  therefore  retired,  after  having  killed, 
with  a  pistol-shot,  a  voltigeur  stationed  under  the  wall  he 
had  attempted  to  scale.  He  again  shut  himself  up  in  his 
tower,  and  employed  himself  all  night  in  making  cartridges. 
An  afternoon,  two  nights,  and  a  whole  day  had  been  spent 
and  Don  Giro  was  still  master  of  the  whole  inclosure,  and 
the  outer  walls  of  the  masseria !  At  day-break,  the  be- 
siegers tried  to  burst  open  the  strong  wooden  gate  of  the 
outer  wall :  Giro  and  his  men  creeping  from  the  tower  and 
under  the  wall  by  the  gate,  repulsed  the  assailants,  killing 
five  and  wounding  fourteen  of  the  soldiers.  A  barrel  of 
oil  was  then  rolled  to  the  gate,  in  order  to  burn  it.  The 
first  man  who  set  fire  to  it  was  shot  through  the  heart. 
But  its  flames  communicated  to  the  door,  which  was  soon 
accessible,  and  Don  Giro  was  obliged  to  retreat  to  his  tower. 
How  long  he  might  have  kept  Major  Bianchi  at  bay,  had 
not  a  piece  of  artillery  arrived,  and  had  he  not  forgotten 
an  important  part  of  the  provision  for  a  siege,  is  uncer- 
tain ;  but  as  the  day  advanced  a  four-pounder  was  brought 
to  the  spot,  and  pointed  against  the  roof  of  the  tower. 
This  little  piece  produced  great  efiect.  The  tiles  and 
bricks  which  fell,  drove  Don  Giro  from  the  upper  to  the 
lower  story  of  the  tower.  The  assailants,  satisfied  with 
the  efi*ects  produced  by  the  four-pounder,  would  not  ap- 
proach the  tower ;  he  had  nothing  to  do  in  the  way  of 


224  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

firing  at  them,  to  keep  up  his  spirits ; — at  the  same  time, 
and  in  this  horrid  state  of  inactivity  or  passiveness,  he 
was  tormented  with  a  burning  thirst,  for  he  had  forgotten 
to  provide  himself  with  water — and  he  never  coukl  drink 
wine. 

At  length,  after  some  deliberations  with  his  companions, 
he  demanded  to  speak  with  General  Church,  who  he  be- 
lieved was  in  the  neighborhood ;  then  to  the  Duke  of 
Monte  Jasi — (he  seemed  to  have  had  the  ancient  knight's 
anxiety,  to  surrender  to  none  save  people  of  distinction  ;) 
but  that  nobleman  being  also  absent,  he  condescended  to 
capitulate  with  Major  Bianchi.  On  their  approach,  he 
addressed  the  besiegers,  and  threw  them  some  bread. 
Major  Bianchi  assured  him  that  he  should  not  be  mal- 
treated by  the  soldiery,  of  whom  he  had  killed  and 
wounded  so  many.  He  then  lowered  the  ladder,  descended 
from  the  tower,  and  presented  himself  to  the  major  and  his 
troL'is,  with  the  words,  "  Eccomi,  Don  Giro, — Here  am  I, 
Don  Giro!" 

His  comrades  then  followed  him.  And  hew  many 
were  these  desperate  men,  who  had  so  long  defended 
themselves  against  such  a  force  ?  They  were  only  three — 
Vito  di  Gesare,  Giovanni  Palmieri,  and  Michele  Guppoli, 

Their  hands,  their  faces,  their  dress,  were  horribly  be- 
grimed by  gunpowder  and  smoke,  but  there  was  no  ap- 
pearance of  wounds  on  their  persons,  and  their  counte- 
nances, particularly  that  of  their  daring  leader,  were  firm 
and  resolute  in  the  extreme.  The  first  thing  Don  Giro 
lid  after  surrendering  himself  to  the  soldiers  was,  to  beg 
;hem  to  give  him  water  to  quench  his  consuming  thirst. 


TRAVELLEllS  AND  ITALIAN  BANDITTI.  225 

lie  then  delivered  the  key  and  desired  them  to  liberate 
the  people  of  the  masseria,  who  had  been  locked  up  all 
this  while  in  the  straw-magazine.  He  declared  that  they 
were  iniKcciit,  and  as  they  came  out  of  their  places  of* 
confinement  be  distributed  money  among  them.  He  pa- 
tiently suffered  himself  to  be  searched  and  bound.  Some 
poison  was  found  upon  him,  which  he  said  he  would  have 
taken  in  the  tower  had  not  his  companions  prevented  him. 

The  besiegers  and  their  captors  now  marched  off*  for 
Francavilla.  Don  Giro  conversed  quietly  enough  all  the 
way  with  Major  Bianchi,  to  whom  he  related  the  principal 
circumstances  of  his  most  extraordinary  life. 

In  prison  he  was  equally  calm.  He  only  appeared  to  be 
interested  for  the  fate  of  some  of  his  partisans,  or  Decisi : 
he  declared  that  they  had  been  compelled  by  his  threats 
and  their  own  fears  to  do  whatever  they  had  done,  and 
he  entreated  that  they  might  not  be  persecuted. 

On  being  placed  before  the  council  of  war,  presided  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Guarini,  he  addressed  a  speech  to  that 
officer,  mistaking  him  for  General  Church.  Among  other 
arguments  he  used,  was  this : 

"  On  the  day  that  you,  general,  with  the  Duke  of  San 
Cesareo  and  only  a  few  horsemen,  reconnoitred  Grotta- 
glie,  I  was  there,  with  several  of  mine,  concealed  behind 
a  ruined  wall,  ^lose  by  the  gate  where  you  entered.  I 
covered  you  with  my  rifle,  and  I  never  missed  my  aim 
ten  times  that  distance  !  Had  not  the  feelings  of  mercjf 
prevailed  in  my  bosom,  general,  instead  of  being  here  to 
judge  me,  yon  would  have  been   in  your  grave.     Think 

29 


226  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

of  this,  Sign  jr  General,  and  let  me  meet  with  the  mercj 
I  have  shown  !" 

On  being  informed  of  his  mistake,  he  insisted  on  seeing 
General  Church ;  when  this  was  refused  hira,  he  quietly 
resigned  himself  to  his  fate,  drily  saying,  "  Ho  capito." 
(I  understand.)     He  did  not  pronounce  another  w^ord. 

After  sentence  of  death  was  passed,  a  missionary  intrp- 
duced  himself,  and  oifered  him  the  consolations  of  religion. 
Don  Giro  answered  him  with  a  smile,  '*  Let  us  leave  alone 
all  this  stuff  and  prating  !  we  are  of  the  same  trade — 
don't  let  us  laugh  at  one  another  V 

On  being  asked  by  Captain  Montorj,  reporter  of  the 
military  commission  which  condemned  him,  how  many 
persons  he  had  killed  with  his  own  hand,  he  carelessly 
answered,  ''  Who  can  tell  ? — they  may  be  between  sixty 
and  seventy." 

As  he  was  led  to  execution  he  recognised  Lieutenant 
Fonsmorte,  the  officer  who  had  been  the  first  to  arrive  at 
the  masseria  of  Scascrba  with  his  regular  troops.  Don 
Giro  had  admired  his  readiness  and  courage,  and  said  to 
him,  *'  If  I  were  a  king,  I  would  make  you  a  captain." 

'The  streets  of  Francavilla,  through  which  he  passed, 
were  filled  with  people  ;  even  the  house-tops  were  crowded 
with  spectators.     They  all  preserved  a  gloomy  silence. 

On  his  arrival  at  the  place  of  execution,  Don  Giro 
walked  wath  a  firm  step  to  his  fatal  post.  He  wished  to 
be  shot  standing — but  they  ordered  him  to  kneel.  He  did 
BO,  presenting  his  breast  to  the  soldiers.  He  was  then  told 
that  malefactors,  like  himself,  were  always  shot  with  their 
backs  to  the  soldiers ;  "It  is  all  the  same,"  he  replied 


TRAVELLERS  AND  ITALIAN  BANDITTI.  227 

mth  a  smile,  and  then  he  turned  his  back.     As  h^3  did 

BO,  he  advised  a  priest,  who  persisted  in  remaining  near 

to  him,  to  withdraw,  "  for,'*  said  he,  "  these  fellows  are 

„.,---Hiot  all  such  good  shots  as  I  have  been-^they  may  hit  you.** 

He  spoke  no  more — the  signal  was  given — the  soldiers 
fired  at  the  kneeling  priest-robber.  Twenty-one  balls 
took  efiFect — four  in  the  head  !  Yet  he  still  breathed  and 
muttered  in  his  throat ;  it  required  a  twenty-second  shot 
to  put  an  end  to  him  !  This  fact  was  confirmed  by  all  the 
officers  and  soldiers  present  at  the  execution.  The  peoplo, 
who  had  always  attributed  supernatural  powers  to  him, 
were  confirmed  in  their  belief  by  this  tenaciousness  of  life, 
which  was,  indeed,  little  short  of  miraculous.  "  As  soon 
as  we  perceived,"  said  one  of  the  soldiers  very  seriously, 
"that  Don  Giro  was  enchanted,  we  loaded  his  musket 
with  a  silver  ball,  and  this  destroyed  the  spell." 

Thus  fell,  in  1818,  after  fifteen  years  of  a  most  lawless 
life,  dating  from  his  jealousy  and  first  murder,  Don  Giro 
Anacchiarico,  of  whom  little  else  remains  to  be  said,  save 
that  his  countenance  had  nothing  at  all  repulsive  about 
it,  but  was,  on  the  contrary,  rather  mild  and  agreeable ; 
that  he  was  master  of  a  verbose  but  most  persuasive  elo- 
quence, though  pedantic  in  his  style  and  over-addicted  to 
classical  allusions  and  inflated  phrases — the  general  defecti 
of  his  countrymen,  the  Neapolitans. 


POLINARIO  AND  THE  ARCHBISHOP. 


^oli^^Ho. 


My  next  anecdote  is  of  a  Spanish  robber  of  a  more 
agreeable  character.  It  is  extracted  from  the  work  of  a 
recent  traveller,  from  Inglis's  "Spain  in  1830."  Inglis, 
in  the  course  of  his  peregrinations,  stopped  one  night  at  a 
posada,  or  inn,  in  the  south  of  Spain,  and  sat  doT^'n  to  sup 
at  a  sort  of  table  dliote,  with  such  company  as  had  gath- 
ered at  the  said  place  of  repose  and  refection. 

Towards  the  conclusion  of  the  supper,  a  guist  of  uc 
(228) 


-   POLINARIO.  229 

Binall  importance  took  his  place  at  table :  this  was  no 
other  than  the  celebrated  Polinario,  during  eleven  years 
the  Iread  of  half  Spain,  and  now  following  the  honest 
calling  of  guard  of  the  Seville  diligence.  I  never  saw  a 
fner  man,  or  one  whose  appearance  more  clearly  indi- 
cated the  profession  which  he  had  abandoned.  I  could 
not  help  fancying  that  his  countenance  expressed  a  cer- 
tain lawlessness  of  mind,  and  contempt  of  peaceable  per- 
sons like  myself,  which  an  assumed  suavity  of  manner 
was  unable  altogether  to  conceal :  this  suavity  of  manner 
is,  however,  very  remarkable,  and  I  believe  is  in  perfect 
accordance  with  his  conduct  when  a  robber  ;  for  Polinario 
was  never  guilty  of  any  act  of  wanton  cruelty  or  barba- 
rity, but  along  with  the  most  fearless  courage,  he  always 
evinced  a  certain  forbearance,  not  uncommon  among  Spa- 
nish banditti ;  but  in  him,  having  a  deeper  seat  than  a 
mock  civility  of  the  Spanish  thief,  arising  rather  from  a 
softness  at  heart,  which  afterwards  led  to  a  change  in  his 
mode  of  life.  The  history  of  this  change  is  curious,  and 
I  pledge  myself  for  its  authenticity. 

The  usual  range  of  Polinario  was  the  northern  part  of 
Sierra  Morena  and  the  southern  parts  of  La  Mancha  ;  and 
here  he  remained  during  eleven  years. 

A  few  years  ago,  understanding  that  the  Archbishop  of 
Gaen  would  pass  the  Sierra  Morena  in  his  carriage,  without 
other  attdendants  than  his  servants,  he  lay  in  wait  for  the 
prelate,  and  stopped  his  carriage.  The  archbishop  of  course 
delivered  his  money ;  and  Polinario  having  received  it, 
wked  his  blessing  :  upon  this,  the  archbishop  began  to  re- 
mcnstrate  with  the  robber,  setting  forth  the  heinousnesn 


230  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

of  his  offences,  and  the  wickedness  of  his  life  :  but  Polinario 
interrupted  the  archbishop,  by  telling  him  it  was  of  no  use 
remonstrating  upon  his  manner  of  life,  unless  his  Grace 
could  obtain  a  pardon  for  the  past ;  because,  without  this, 
it  was  impossible  he  could  change  his  mode  of  living. 

The  Archbishop  of  Gaen  is  a  good  man  ;  and  feeling 
a  real  desire  to  assist  Polinario  in  his  half-expressed  desire 
of  seeking  a  better  way  of  life,  he  passed  his  word  that  he 
would  obtain  for  him  his  Majesty's  pardon  ;  and  Polinario 
came  under  a  solemn  promise  to  the  archbishop,  that  he 
would  rob  no  more.  In,  this  way  the  matter  stood  for 
eleven  months  ;  for  it  was  eleven  months  before  the  arch- 
bishop could  obtain  the  pardon  he  had  promised  ;  and 
during  all  this  time  Polinario  was  obliged  to  conceal  him- 
self from  the  pursuit  which  the  offer  of  a  considerable  re- 
ward had  long  before  instigated.  At  length,  however, 
the  pardon  was  obtained ;  and  Polinario  was  free  to  lead 
an  honest  life.  lie  admits,  however,  that  he  is  not  con- 
tented with  the  change ;  and  makes  no  hesitation  in  say- 
ing, that  the  promise  made  to  the  archbishop  alone  pre- 
vents him  from  returning  to  his  former  profession  ;  but  he 
says  the  archbishop  kept  his  word  to  him,  and  he  will  keep 
his  wcrd  to  the  achbishop. 


You  can  have  no  idea  of  the  ferment  about  the  gohl 
diggings  in  this  part  of  Australia,  says  an  emigrant,  in  a 
communication  on  the  subject.  The  excitement  of  the 
Mississippi  and  South  Sea  Schemes  could  not  have  been 
greater.  1'he  folks  of  Sydney,  when  I  saw  them,  seemed 
as  if  bewitched — they  could  talk  of  nothing  else  than  the 
great  things  in  store  for  the  country.  I  landed  only  a 
fortnight  or  so  after  the  account  of  the  gold  discoveries 
at  Bathurst  had  been  propagated ;  and  as  my  object  in 
emigrating  had  been  to  gain  a  livelihood  in  any  honest 
way,  and  as  I  did  not  mind  roughing  it,  or  undergoing  a 

30  (238) 


234  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

fair  share  of  toil,  you  will  not  wonder  that  I  set  off  vdth  a 
band  of  young  men,  all  as  eager  as  myself.  We  took  each 
with  us  only  a  small  knapsack  of  necessaries,  and  we  had 
amongst  every  two  a  small  handj  shovel  and  mattock. 
Some  carried  tin  basins  for  washing  the  sand,  and  others 
had  with  them  a  few  carpenter's  tools.  There  was  also  a 
slender  provision  of  cooking  utensils.  I  bundled  my  arti- 
cles in  a  blanket,  and  using  my  spade  as  a  staff,  took  the 
road  one  morning,  in  the  best  possible  spirits. 

Bathurst  lies  west  from  Sydney,  and  to  get  to  it  we  took 
the  route  through  Paramatta,  which  also  contributed  num- 
bers for  the  same  destination.  There  was  great  fun  on  the 
road ;  so  many  parties  were  jogging  on  their  way  all  anxious 
to  get  on,  as  if  the  gold  would  all  be  picked  up  before 
they  reached  the  spot.  No  one  had  any  distinct  idea  of 
what  was  seen  or  what  was  to  be  done.  They,  however, 
knew  that  the  gold  which  they  might  be  so  lucky  as  to  get, 
would  be  readily  bought  from  them  by  the  Sydney  jewellers, 
at  good  prices.  I  did  not  observe  any  fighting  or  misconduct 
among  the  hurrying  groups  of  travellers.  There  was  ge- 
neral good-humor,  and  a  disposition  to  help  one  another 
in  any  small  matter.  On  the  second  day  we  met  a  man 
returning.  He  showed  us  a  piece  of  gold  that  he  had  se- 
cured— it  weighed  three  and  a  half  ounces ;  and  he  was 
80  olated  with  the  prize  and  the  prospect  it  held  out,  that 
he  was  going  back  to  Sydney  to  procure  apparatus  for 
digging  and  washing  on  an  extensive  scale ;  at  the  same 
time  to  wind  up  some  ordinary  affairs  that  he  had  left  in 
confusion. 

I  must  hurry  on.     It  was  toilsome  crossing  the  moun- 


THE  EMIGRANT  GOLD  DIGGER.  237 

tain-gorges,  and  the  road  was  almost  entirely  up  hill,  till 
we  got  to  a  considerable  altitude.  Here  there  wore  high- 
lying  plains  and  much  broken  country,  with  runs  of  water 
and  much  picturesque  scenery.  We  were  now  in  the  gold 
regions,  about  thirty-five  miles  beyond  the  town  of  Ba- 
thurst.  The  first  sight  wc  got  of  the  Ophir  diggings  wag 
in  coming  down  a  rocky  height,  where  we  observed  a  mis- 
cellaneous body  of  men,  scattered  in  twos  and  threes  in  the 
bed  of  a  creek,  and  all  busy  in  the  search  for  the  precious 
metals.  Adjoining,  here  and  there,  were  tonts ;  and  seve- 
ral stores  were  open  for  the  use  of  the  emigrants.  One 
of  the  tents  wus  occupied  by  a  government  officer,  who  acts 
as  chief-magistrate,  and  sells  licences.  There  were  also 
some  police  present.  We  commenced  operations  almost 
immediately.  One  of  our  companions  amused  us  by  dashing, 
with  a  whoop  and  hurrah,  into  the  bed  of  the  rivulet,  and 
jifting  a  handful  of  gravel  to  see  what  kind  of  stuff  it  was. 
Along  with  a  young  emigrant  who  agreed  to  share  with 
me  in  all  that  could  be  gathered,  I  went  to  a  spot  which 
was  seemingly  less  encroached  upon  than  other  places,  and 
there  began  to  shovel  up  the  loose  sandy  debris^  and  wash 
away  the  lighter  portions.  We  succeeded  as  well  as  could 
have  been  expected.  Before  night,  we  had  gathered  as 
many  grains  of  gold  as  would  have  filled  a  thimble.  This 
we  thought  a  good  beginning ;  and  are  pushing  on  with 
high  hope.  I  wish  you  were  here  to  see  the  strange  scramble 
that  is  going  forward.  As  yet  I  have  seen  no  disorder. 
There  are  many  most  respectable  people  engaged  in  the 
operation  of  gold-digging,  and  that  helps  materially  to 
preserve  orderly  conduct. 


238  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

So  far  goes  our  informant.  We  add  for  genoral  enter 
tainment  the  following  letter  extracted  from  an  Australian 
paper  lately  forwarded  to  us : — 

At  the  present  time  there  are  about  one  thousand  peopU 
at  the  mines,  and  the  number  is  daily  increasing.  A  friend 
of  ours,  who  returned  thence  a  few  days  ago,  informed  us 
that  he  met  seventy-two  on  the  road  from  Bathurst ;  and 
when  it  is  considered  that  Ophir  is  the  centre  of  an  im- 
mense circle,  from  which  many  new  trodden  roads  radiate 
in  all  directions,  and  that  a  steady  stream  of  human  beings 
is  daily  flowing  from  each,  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
rapid  increase  of  the  digging  population.  About  three 
miles  of  a  frontage  are  occupied  with  this  busy  throng. 
Every  village  of  the  surrounding  country  is  emptying  it- 
self, or  sending  forth  its  quota  to  the  great  gathering.  From 
a  letter  received  from  Carcoar,  by  the  last  mail,  we  learn 
that  it  is  nearly  deserted.  Fresh  faces  are  to  be  daily 
seen  in  our  streets  which  by  the  following  day  have  dis- 
appeared, their  places  being  supplied  by  others ;  and  if 
our  readers  wish  to  know  what  has  become  of  them,  we 
simply  tell  them  that  they  are  off  to  the  diggings.  A  few 
days  ago  a  band  of  about  a  dozen  women  left  Bathurst  for 
the  diggings,  and  since  that  time  several  small  knots  of 
females  have  started  for  that  locality,  where  we  are  in- 
furmcd  they  drive  a  profitable  trade  by  the  washing-tub. 
Tents  and  gunyas  are  rearing  their  heads  in  every  quarter ; 
l>ut  hundreds  receive  no  other  protection  from  the  weather 
than  a  few  boughs  thrown  together  after  the  fashion  of  a 
black-fellow's  mansion.  In  fact  the  whole  settlement  has 
clie  appearance  of  a  vast  aboriginal  camp.     The  preci- 


THE  EMIGilANT  GOLD  DIGGER.  281^ 

pitous  ridges  on  each  side  of  the  crcjk  are  studded  with 
horses  by  the  hundred,  which  after  a  few  days  naturaliza- 
tion to  their  new  homes,  begin  to  look  as  rugged  and  hag- 
gard as  their  masters. 

The  diggings  commence  at  the  junction  of  the  Summer 
Hill  and  Lewis'  Ponds  Creek,  and  extend  downwards  to 
wards  the  Macquarrie.  Several  stores  have  been  opened, 
and  it  is  said  are  doing  a  roaring  trade,  taking  gold  in 
payment  for  their  goods.  The  neighboring  flocks  supply 
the  miners  with  mutton,  and  we  hear  that  it  is  in  contem- 
plation to  erect  stock-yards  to  slaughter  cattle  in.  Meat 
sells  readily  at  four  pence  a  pound,  and  we  have  heard  of 
instances  in  which  enormous  prices  have  been  given  for 
bread.  From  the  miserable  shelter  and  generally  inade- 
quate outfit  of  scores,  whom  the  mania  has  allured  thither, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  many  are  paving  their  way 
to  the  grave.  And  whilst  on  this  part  of  our  subject,  we 
will  tender  a  little  advice  to  intending  miners.  Before 
going  to  Ophir,  you  must  recollect  that  it  is  a  miserably 
cold  place,  and  that  you  require  not  only  plenty  of  warm 
bedding,  but  a  tarpaulin  or  some  such  convenience  for 
shelter — that  as  there  is  abundance  of  hard  work  before 
you,  in  the  performance  of  which  you  are  sure  to  get  wet, 
and  during  a  portion  of  the  time  must  stand  in  the  water, 
plenty  of  food  is  an  indispensable  requisite.  Again,  a  re- 
gular set  of  tools,  comprising  shovels,  pickaxes,  a  crow- 
bar, tin-dishes  for  lading  the  water,  a  cradle,  &c.,  is  ab- 
solutely necessary.  If  you  have  means  to  obtain  all  these, 
you  may  stand  your  chance  of  finding  more  or  less  of  the 
auriferous  wealth  of  Ophir ;  if  not,  stop  at  home  and  mind 


240  THE  ROMANCE  Oi;  TRAVEL. 

your  ordinary  business,  if  you  have  any  to  miiid,  and  we 
will  hazard  a  guess  that  in  the  end  you  will  be  as  rich  as 
the  gold-digger,  with  perhaps  a  much  sounder  constitu- 
tion. Even  at  the  present  time  there  are  much  hunger 
and  suffering  which  do  not  meet  the  eye. 

The  success  of  ten  or  a  dozen  men  is  not  to  be  under- 
stood  as  the  guage  by  which  the  luck  of  all  is  to  be  mea- 
sured ;  and  although  the  general  impression  of  respectable 
people  seems  to  be  that  most  of  the  diggers  are  procuring 
more  or  less  gold  in  return  for  their  labor,  it  must  be  re- 
collected that  there  are  hundreds  of  whose  success  or  failure 
we  are  unable  to  speak.  That  there  are  many  cases  of 
failure  we  have  been  repeatedly  informed,  and  know  of 
instances  in  which  shepherds  have  been  hired  at  the 
diggings,  who  have  been  starved  and  worked  into  intense 
disgust  against  gold-finding,  and  left  the  place  much  poorer 
than  they  arrived  at  it. 

From  the  foregoing  relation  of  facts,  some  idea  may  be 
formed  of  the  state  of  our  town  and  district.  In  sober 
seriousness,  "the  times  are  out  of  joint."  The  wisest 
men  are  mere  children  in  the  matter,  and  are  as  little 
aware  how  it  will  end. 

According  to  letters  of  later  date,  discoveries  of  gold 
in  incalculabb  abundance  has  been  made  on  the  Turon 
River ;  and  prodigious  accordingly  was  the  fresh  excite- 
ment. Wonderful  times  these  !  A  great  future  opens 
on  AustraMa, — and,  if  we  mistake  not,  on  the  homo 
country  too ! 


P3 


SPANISH  COSTUMES. 


Mr.  Borrow,  the  author  of  a  well-known  work  on  the 
'^  Gipsies  of  Spain,"  has  also  published,  under  the  some- 
what quaint  title  of  "  The  Bible  in  Spain,"  a  very  remark- 
aHe  work,  abounding  in  the  most  vivid  and  picturesque 
descriptions  of  scenery,  and  sketches  of  strange  and  wild 
adventure.     Of  his  personal  history,  he  tells  us  little ; 

(248) 


244  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

but  the  hints  and  allusions  scattered  throughout  this  and 
the  former  work,  show  that,  in  various  respects,  it  lias 
been  a  very  strange  one,  ''fuller  of  adventure  than  any 
thing  we  are  at  all  familiar  with  even  in  modern  romance." 
It  was  in  the  character  of  an  agent  for  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society  that  Mr.  Borrow  visited  Spain  to- 
w^ards  the  close  of  the  year  1835. 

He  spent  the  greater  part  of  five  years  in  this  service, 
partly  in  superintending  the  printing  of  a  Spanish  Bible 
at  Madrid,  partly  in  personally  distributing  copies  of  the 
sacred  Scriptures  in  the  provinces.  His  work  does  not 
assume  the  form  of  a  regular  narrative,  but  is  rather  a 
series  of  sketches  descriptive  of  the  scenes  through  which 
he  passed,  and  of  the  persons  and  adventures  encountered 
by  him  in  the  course  of  his  missionary  enterprises.  We 
purpose  giving,  as  far  as  the  fragmentary  character  of  the 
work  will  permit  us,  a  connected  view  of  his  efforts  to  cir- 
culate the  Bible  in  the  Peninsula,  and  of  the  success 
which  has  attended  his  labors. 

Mr.  Borrow  landed  at  Lisbon  about  the  middle  of  No- 
f ember,  1835,  and  proceeded  without  delay  to  take  mea- 
sures for  the  circulation  of  the  stock  of  Portuguese  Bibles 
and  Testaments  which  had  been  at  his  disposal.  A  part 
of  his  stock  was  put  in  the  hands  of  the  booksellers  of 
Lisbon,  and  at  the  same  time  colporteurs  were  employed 
to  hawk  the  books  about  the  streets,  receiving  a  certain 
profit  on  every  copy  they  sold. 

As  Mr.  Borrow's  stay  in  Portugal  was  limited,  he  de- 
termined, before  leaving  the  country,  to  establish  depots 
of  Bibles  in  one  or  two  of  the  provincial  towns    With  thi? 


BORROW'S  ADVENTURES  IN  SPAIN.  246 

view,  he  set  out  for  Evora,  the  principal  city  of  the  pro 
\ince  beyond  the  Tagus,  and  one  of  the  most  ai_cient  in^ 
Poitugnl,  and  formerly  the  seat  of  a  branch  of  the  Inqui- 
sition. After  a  dangerous  passage  across  the  Tagus,  in 
which  lie  narrowly  escaped  drowning,  he  reached  Aldea 
Gallega  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  shivering  with 
cold,  and  in  a  most  deplorable  plight ;  and  having  engaged 
with  a  person  for  mules  to  carry  him  to  Evora,  started 
next  morning  in  company  with  the  proprietor  of  th€ 
mules  and  his  nephew.  "  When  we  started,  the  moon 
was  shining  brightly,  and  the  morning  was  piercingly  cold. 
We  soon  entered  on  a  sandy  hollow  way,  emerging  from 
which  we  passed  by  a  strange-looking  and  large  edifice, 
standing  on  a  high,  bleak  sand-hill  on  our  left.  We  were 
speedily  overtaken  by  five  or  six  men  on  horseback,  riding 
at  a  rapid  pace,  each  with  a  long  gun  slung  at  his  saddle, 
the  muzzle  depending  about  two  feet  below  the  horse's 
belly.  I  inquired  of  the  old  man  w^hat  was  the  reason  of 
this  warlike  array.  lie  answered,  that  the  roads  were 
very  bad — meaning  that  they  abounded  with  robbers — 
and  that  they  went  armed  in  this  manner  for  their  defence ; 
they  soon  turned  off  to  the  right  towards  Palmella.  We 
reached  a  sandy  plain  studded  with  stunted  pine ;  the 
road  was  little  more  than  a  foot-path,  and  as  we  proceeded, 
the  trees  thickened,  and  became  a  wood,  which  extended 
for  two  leagues,  with  clear  spaces  at  intervals,  in  which 
herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  were  feeding  ;  the  bells  attached 
to  their  necks  were  ringing  lovvly  and  monotonously.  The 
sun  was  just  beginning  to  show  itself;  but  the  morning 
was  misty  and  dreary,  which,  together  with  the  aspect  of 


246  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

desolation  which  the  country  exhibited,  had  an  unfavor- 
able efiect  on  my  spirits.  I  got  down  and  walked,  enter- 
ing into  conversation  with  the  old  man.  He  seemed  tc 
have  but  one  theme — 'the  robbers,'  and  the  atrocities 
they  were  in  the  habit  of  practising  in  the  very  spots  we 
were  passing.  The  tales  he  told  were  truly  horrible,  and 
ko  avoid  them,  I  mounted  again,  and  rode  on  considerably 
in  front.  In  about  an  hour  and  a  half  we  emerged  from 
the  forest,  and  entered  upon  a  savage,  wild,  broken  ground, 
covered  with  mato  or  brushwood.  The  mules  stopped  to 
drink  at  a  shallow  pool,  and  on  looking  to  the  right,  I  saw 
a  ruined  wall.  This,  the  guide  informed  me,  was  the  re- 
mains of  Vendas  Velhas,  or  the  Old  Inn,  formerly  the 
haunt  of  the  celebrated  robber  Sabocha.  I  dismounted, 
and  went  up  to  the  place,  and  saw  the  vestiges  of  a  fire 
and  a  broken  bottle.  The  sons  of  plunder  had  been  there 
very  lately.  I  left  a  New  Testament  and  some  tracts 
amongst  the  ruins,  and  hastened  away.*' 

The  goat-herd  of  Monte  Moro — the  night  scene  at  Evora, 
where  Mr.  Borrow  had  taken  up  his  quarters  in  the 
midst  of  a  motley  company  of  smugglers  of  the  border — 
the  fugitive,  frantic  with  terror  at  the  idea  that  he  had 
been  pursued  by  witches,  and  wearing  rosemary  in  his 
hat,  to  elude  their  malicious  search — and  the  benighted 
horsemen  encountered  on  the  return  to  the  metropolis — 
are  sketches  worthy  of  especial  notice,  and  strikingly  il- 
lustrative of  the  author's  graphic  powers.  At  Evora,  he 
found  a  bookseller  willing  to  undertake  the  sale  of  the 
Bibles  and  Testaments,  and  to  him  he  entrusted  one-half 
of  his  stock,  the  other  half  he  consigned  to  the  secretary 


BORROW^S  ADVENTURES  IN  SPAtN.  247 

to  the  government  at  Evora,  who  in  conj action  with  the 
governor,  was  endeavoring  to  establish  a  school  in  the  vi- 
cinity, and  who  promised  to  use  all  his  influence  to  make 
the  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  the  basis  of  the  education 
which  the  children  were  to  receive.  During  the  time  of 
his  sojourn  at  Evora,  Mr.  Borrow  paid  a  visit  every  day 
to  a  fountain  where  the  muleteers  and  other  people  who 
visit  the  town  are  accustomed  to  water  their  horses,  and 
entered  into  conversation  with  every  one  who  halted  at  the 
fountain,  upon  matters  relating  to  their  eternal  welfare. 
None  of  them,  he  tells  us,  had  seen  the  Bible,  and  not  more 
than  half-a-dozen  had  the  slightest  inkling  of  what  the  holy 
book  contained,  but  they  listened  with  attention  and  appa- 
rent interest  to  the  statements  addressed  to  them.  The 
belief  in  witchcraft  is  very  prevalent  among  the  peasantry 
of  Portugal,  and  many  of  them  wear  charms,  fabricated 
and  sold  by  the  monks  for  protection  against  witches  and 
robbers.  Mr.  Borrow,  however,  bears  emphatic  testimony 
to  the  decline  of  the  influence  of  the  monks  both  in  Spain 
and  Portugal.  Even  the  smugglers  whom  he  met  in  the 
inn  at  Evora  spoke  of  priestcraft  and  the  monkish  system 
with  the  utmost  abhorrence,  and  said  that  they  should 
prefer  death  to  submitting  again  to  the  yoke  which  had 
formerly  galled  their  necks. 

The  following  description  of  the  manner  in  which  a 
fidalgo  found  it  necessary  to  travel  on  the  simple  occasion 
of  a  household  removal,  gives  a  striking  picture  of  the  in- 
security of  the  traveller,  and  of  the  perils  of  a  wayfaring 
life  in  the  Peninsula :  "  Had  they  been  conveyimg  the 
wealth  of  Ind  through  the  deserts  of  Arabia,  they  could 


248  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

not  have  travelled  with  more  precaution.  The  nephew, 
with  drawn  sabre,  rode  in  front ;  pistols  in  his  holsters, 
and  the  usual  Spanish  gun  slung  at  his  saddle.  Behind 
him  tramped  six  men  in  rank,  with  muskets  shouldered, 
and  each  of  them  wore  at  his  girdle  a  hatchet,  which  waa 
probably  intended  to  cleave  the  thieves  to  the  brisket 
should  they  venture  to  come  to  close-quarters.  There 
were  six  vehicles,  two  of  them  calashes,  in  which  latter 
rode  the  fidalgo  and  his  daughters ;  the  others  were  co- 
vered with  carts,  and  seemed  to  be  filled  with  household 
furniture ;  each  of  these  vehicles  had  an  armed  rustic  on 
either  side  ;  and  the  son,  a  lad  about  sixteen,  brought  up 
the  rear,  with  a  squad  equal  to  that  of  his  cousin  in  the 
van.  The  soldiers,  who  by  good  fortune  were  light 
horse,  and  admirably  mounted,  were  galloping  about  in 
all  directions,  for  the  purpose  of  driving  the  enemy  from 
cover,  should  they  happen  to  be  lurking  about.'* 

About  a  fortnight  after  his  return  from  Evora,  Mr.  Bor- 
row set  out  for  Madrid  by  way  of  Badajos.  At  Elvas,  he 
encountered  the  oldest  woman  in  Spain,  who  described 
the  great  earthquake  as  having  happened  within  her  re- 
collection. Shortly  after  crossing  the  Spanish  frontier, 
he  fell  in  with  those  singular  people,  the  Zincali,  Gitanos, 
or  Spanish  gipsies.  One  of  them,  named  Antonio,  offers 
to  be  his  guide  to  Madrid.  The  hankering  for  gipsy  so- 
ciety, and  the  desire  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  the 
ways  of  the  Spanish  gipsies,  proved  an  irresistible  temp- 
tation. Mr.  Borrow  accepts  the  offer,  and  for  more  than 
a  week  we  find  him  pursuing  his  way  mounted  on  a  spare 
pony  from  the  gipsy  camp,  lodging  as  gipsies  are  wont  to 


32 


sorrow's  adventures  in  SPAIN.  251 

lodge,  sometimes  in  field  and  forest,  sometimes  in  town  or 
village,  and  passing  through  some  very  queer  scenes,  in 
company  with  his  gipsy  guide. 

At  Merida,  they  stayed  three  days  in  the  house  of  an 
old  gipsy  crone,  who  astonished  the  author  with  wonderful 
tales  of  the  Moors,  prison  escapes,  thievish  feats,  and  one 
or  two  poisoning  adventures,  in  which  she  had  been  engaged 
in  her  early  yoath.  The  old  lady  became  so  much  attached 
to  Mr.  Borrow,  as  to  offer  him  her  grand-daughter  in  mar 
riage,  and  resolutely  to  combat  the  excuses  by  which  he 
sought  to  evade  this  tender  proposition.  After  various 
other  singular  adventures,  Antonio,  who,  for  very  excel- 
lent reasons,  was  afraid  of  being  recognised  in  the  towii 
through  which  they  required  to  pass,  found  that  he  had  nc 
chance  of  escape,  except  in  quitting  the  high  road  alto- 
gether. Mr.  Borrow,  therefore,  proceeds  on  his  journey 
alone.  But  near  Talavera,  he  overtakes  another  traveller, 
the  tallest  and  bulkiest  man  he  had  hitherto  seen  in  Spain, 
dressed  in  a  manner  strange  and  singular  for  the  country 
The  stranger  spoke  good  Castilian,  but  in  the  course  of 
of  conversation,  a  word  escaped  him  which  betrayed  the 
Moresco ;  and  the  subsequent  communications  which  he 
made  to  Mr.  Borrow,  bring  to  light  some  interesting  facts 
respecting  the  condition  of  his  race  in  Spain. 

On  reaching  Madrid,  Mr.  Borrow  lost  no  time  in  taking 
steps  to  obtain  permission  from  the  government  to  print 
the  New  Testament  in  the  Castilian  language,  for  circu- 
lation in  Spain.  Having  received  from  the  British  mi- 
nister, Mr.  Villiers,  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Mendizabal, 
^ho  was  at  time  prime  minister  of  Spain,  he  repaired  to 


^52  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

his  office.  "  Several  individuals/' says  Mr.  Borrow,  "  wer« 
admitted  before  me  ;  at  last,  however,  my  own  turn  came, 
and  I  was  ushered  into  the  presence  of  Mendizabal.  He 
stood  behind  a  table  covered  with  papers,  on  which  his 
eyes  were  intently  fixed.  He  took  not  the  slightest  no- 
tice when  I  entered,  and  I  had  leisure  enough  to  survey 
him.  He  was  a  huge  athletic  man,  somewhat  taller  than 
myself,  who  measure  six  feet  two  inches  without  my  shoe ; 
his  complexion  was  florid,  his  features  fine  and  regular, 
his  nose  quite  aquiline,  and  his  teeth  splendidly  white ; 
though  scarcely  fifty  years  of  age,  his  hair  was  remarkably 
gray ;  he  was  dressed  in  a  rich  morning-gown,  with  a  gold 
chain  round  his  neck,  and  morocco  slippers  on  his  feet. 
His  secretary,  a  fine  intellectual  looking  man,  who,  as  1 
was  sulisequently  informed,  had  acquired  a  name  both  in 
English  and  Spanish  literature,  stood  at  one  end  of  the 
table  with  papers  in  his  hands.  After  I  had  been  stand- 
ing about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  Mendizabal  suddenly 
lifted  up  a  pair  of  sharp  eyes,  and  fixed  them  upon  me 
with  a  peculiarly  scrutinizing  glance.  My  interview  with 
him  lasted  nearly  an  hour.  As  I  was  going  away,  he 
said :  '  Yours  is  not  the  first  application  I  have  had.  Ever 
since  I  have  held  the  reins  of  government,  I  have  been 
pestered  in  this  manner  by  English,  calling  themselves 
Evangelical  Christians,  who  have  of  late  come  flocking 
over  into  Spain.  What  a  strange  infatuation  is  this, 
which  drives  you  over  lands  and  waters  with  Bibles  in 
your  hands  !  My  good  sir,  it  is  not  Bibles  we  want,  but 
rather  guns  and  gunpowder,  to  put  the  rebels  down  with, 
and,  above  all,  money,  that  we  may  pay  the  troops.     If 


BORROW'S  ADVENTURES  IN  SPAIN.  256 

yoiv  come  with  these  three  things,  you  shall  have  a  hearty 
welcome  ;  if  not,  we  really  can  dispense  with  your  visits, 
however  great  the  honor/  " 

A  change  of  ministry  having  taken  place  shortly  after 
this  interview,  Mr.  Borrow  renewed  his  application,  but 
found  his  designs  thwarted  by  the  secretary  of  the  Duke 
of  Rivas,  an  obstinate  Aragonese,  who  had  got  an  idea 
into  his  head  on  this  subject  which  it  was  found  impossible 
to  dislodge.  Galiano,  minister  of  marine,  gave  Mr.  Bor- 
row a  letter  of  introduction  to  the  duke,  in  whose  depart- 
ment was  vested  the  power  of  granting  permission  to  print 
the  Bible.  The  interview  ended  in  the  disappointment 
of  our  author  ;  and  we  next  find  him  engaged  in  describ- 
the  revolution  of  the  Granja  and  the  death  of  Quesada, 
events  which  he  has  painted  with  a  master-hand ;  but  we 
can  only  find  room  for  an  incident  illustrative  of  the  cool- 
ness and  activity  of  English  newspaper  reporters.  "  '  These 

men  mean  mischief,'  said  I  to  my  friend  D ,  of  tho 

Morning  Chronicle,  '  and  depend  upon  it,  that,  if  they  are 
ordered,  they  will  commence  firing,  caring  nothing  whom 
they  hit.'  Taking  me  by  the  arm,  'Let  us  get,*  said  he, 
'  out  of  this  crowd,  and  mount  to  some  window,  where  I 
can  write  down  what  is  about  to  take  place,  for  I  agree 
with  you  that  mischief  is  meant.'  Just  opposite  the  post- 
office  was  a  large  house,  in  the  topmost  story  of  which  Tte 
beheld  a  paper  displayed,  importing  that  apartments  were 
to  let;  whereupon  wo  instantly  ascended  the  common 
stair,  and  having  agreed  with  the  mistress  of  the  house 
for  the  use  of  the  front-room  for  the  day,  we  bolted  the 
door,  and  the  reporter  prepared  to  take  notes  of  the  com 


266  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

ing  events,  Mfhich  were  already  casting  their  shadows 
before. 

"  What  most  extraordinary  men  are  these  reporters  of 
newspapers  in  general — I  mean  English  newspapers ! 
Surely,  if  there  be  any  class  of  individuals  who  are  entitled 
to  the  appellation  of  cosmopolites,  it  is  these. — The  acti- 
vity, energy,  and  courage  which  they  occasionally  display 
in  the  pursuit  of  information,  are  truly  remarkable.  I  saw 
them  during  the  three  days  at  Paris,  mingled  with  canaille 
and  gamins  behind  the  barriers,  whilst  the  mitraille  was 
flying  in  all  directions,  and  the  desperate  cuirassiers  were 
dashing  their  fierce  horses  against  these  seemingly  feeble 
bulwarks.  There  stood  they,  dotting  down  their  observa- 
tions in  their  pocket-books,  as  uncor  cernedly  as  if  reporting 
the  proceedings  of  a  reform  meeting  in  Covent  Garden  or 
Finsbury  Square  ;  whilst  in  Spain,  several  of  them  accom- 
panied the  Carlist  and  Christine  guerillas  in  some  of  their 
most  desperate  raids  and  expeditions,  exposing  themselves 
to  the  danger  of  hostile  bullets,  the  inclemency  of  winter, 
and  the  fierce  heat  of  the  summer  sun." 

Shortly  after  the  revolution  of  La  Granja,  Mr.  Borrow 
returned  to  England,  for  the  purpose  of  consulting  with 
his  friends,  and  for  planning  the  opening  of  a  Biblical 
campaign  in  Spain.  He  lost  no  time  in  returning  to  the 
scene  of  his  labors,  and  having  landed  at  Cadiz,  proceeded 
through  Seville  and  Cordova  to  Madrid.  He  had  received 
intimation  from  the  proper  Spanish  minister,  that  though 
a  formal  licence  could  not  be  given  to  print  the  Bible; 
yet  his  operations  would  not  be  interfered  with  by  the 
government;  and  acting  upon  this  tacit  permission,  an 


i;f'",M 


BORROW'S  A.DVENTURES  FN  SPAIN.  269 

^iltion  of  the  New  Testament,  consisting  of  five  tlousand 
Dopies,  was  speedily  published.  As  soon  as  this  was  ac- 
complished, the  indefatigable  agent  resolved  to  put  in 
execution  a  plan  on  which  he  had  mused  off  Cape  F'ris- 
terre  in  the  tempest,  in  the  cut-throat  passes  of  the  J»Io- 
rena,  and  on  the  plains  of  La  Mancha,  as  he  jogged  along 
with  his  smuggler  guide.  "I  had  determined,"  says  he, 
"  after  depositing  a  certain  number  of  copies  in  the  shops 
of  the  booksellers  of  Madrid,  to  ride  forth,  Testament  in 
hand,  and  endeavor  to  circulate  the  Word  of  God  among 
the  Spaniards  not  only  of  the  towns,  but  of  the  villages ; 
amongst  the  children  not  only  of  the  plains,  but  of  the  hills 
and  mountains.  I  intended  to  visit  Old  Castile,  and  to 
traverse  the  whole  of  Galicia  and  the  Asturias — to  esta- 
blish Scripture  depots  in  the  principal  towns,  and  to  visit 
the  people  in  secret  and  secluded  spots — to  talk  to  them 
of  Christ,  to  explain  to  them  the  nature  of  His  book,  and 
to  place  that  book  into  the  hands  of  those  whom  I  should 
deem  capable  of  deriving  benefit  from  it.  I  was  aware 
that  such  a  journey  would  be  attended  with  considerable 
danger,  and  very  possibly  the  fate  of  St.  Stephen  might 
OYcrtake  me ;  but  does  the  man  deserve  the  name  of  a  fol- 
lower of  Christ,  who  would  shrink  from  danger  of  any 
kind  in  the  cause  of  him  whom  he  calls  his  Master  ?"  Into 
the  details  of  this  journey,  which  occupied  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  year  1837,  our  limits  forbid  us  to  enter 
It  abounds  in  strange  and  deeply-interesting  adventures 
and  hairbreadth  escapes,  not  merely  from  the  banditti,  by 
whom  tl  e  roads  were  infested,  but  especially  from  the 


260  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

partisans  of  Don  Carlos,  who  were  at  that  tiiQc  ravaging 
the  country  with  fire  and  sword. 

At  Finesterre,  Mr.  Borrow  was  mistaken  for  the  re- 
doubtable Carlos  himself,  or  at  the  very  least  one  of  his 
partisans,  and  narrowly  escaped  being  shot,  by  the  orders 
of  a  stupid,  ill-natured  alcaid.  The  results  of  the  journey, 
however,  were  on  the  wliole  propitious,  as  regarded  the 
great  object  which  the  missionary  had  in  view  He  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  the  friendly  interest  and  co-operation 
of  the  booksellers  of  Salamanca,  Leon,  Compostella,  an(^ 
the  other  towns  through  which  he  passed,  and,  moreover, 
disposed  of  a  considerable  number  of  Testaments  with  his 
own  hands  to  private  individuals  of  the  lower  classes.  On 
his  return  to  Madrid,  he  took  the  bold  step  of  establishing 
a  shop  for  the  sale  of  Testaments;  and  to  call  public  at- 
tention to  it,  he  resorted  to  the  English  practice  of  covering 
the  sides  of  the  streets  with  colored  placards,  no  doubt  to 
the  great  surprise  of  the  Spaniards  ;  and,  besides  this,  in- 
serted an  account  of  it  in  all  the  journals  and  periodicals. 
These  proceedings,  of  course,  caused  a  great  sensation  in 
Madrid,  and  excited  no  little  indignation  and  alarm  among 
the  priests  and  their  partisans  ;  and  their  fury  was  so  much 
increased  by  the  publication  of  the  Gospel  in  the  Spanish, 
Gipsy,  and  Biscayan  languages,  that  they  procured  from 
the  governor  a  peremptory  order  prohibiting  the  furtlicr 
sale  of  the  New  Testament  in  Madrid.  Mr.  Borrow  was 
even  threatened  with  assassination  unless  he  would  dis- 
continue selling  his  •'  Jewish  books,"  and  shortly  after,  on 
some  frivolous  charge,  was  committed  to  prison.  This 
last  step,  however,  was  taken  in  such  an  illegal  manner, 


BOKROW'S  ADVENTURES  IN  ?^PATX.  201 

t'lat  the  authorities  were  glad  to  release  him,  a^  (r  making 
a  Immiliating  apology  for  the  violence  to  which  he  had  been 
subjected.  Mr.  Borrow's  sketches  of  the  prison  and  its 
robber  inmates  are  among  the  most  interesting  portion:^ 
of  his  work.  Snow-white  linen,  it  seems,  constitutes  tl  e 
principal  feature  in  the  robber  foppery  of  Spain.  But  it 
is  only  the  higher  classes  among  them — in  other  words}, 
the  most  hardened  and  desperate  villians — who  can  indulge 
in  this  luxury. 

Various  interesting  incidents  are  mentioned  by  Mr. 
Borrow,  to  show  the  desire  which  the  people  manifested  to 
obtain  possession  of  the  Scriptures.  ''  One  night,"  says  he 
"  as  I  was  bathing  myself  and  my  horse  in  the  Tagus,  a 
knot  of  people  gathered  on  the  bank,  crying  :  '  Come  out 
of  the  water.  Englishman,  and  give  us  books  ;  we  have  got 
our  money  in  our  hands.'  The  poor  creatures  then  held 
out  their  hands,  filled  with  small  copper  coins  of  the  value 
of  a  farthing ;  but,  unfortunately,  I  had  no  Testaments  to 
give  them.  Antonio,  however,  who  was  at  a  short  distance, 
having  exhibited  one,  it  was  instantly  torn  from  his  hands 
by  the  people,  and  a  scuffle  ensued  to  obtain  possession  of 
it.  It  very  frequently  occurred  that  the  poor  laborers  in 
the  neighborhood,  being  eager  to  obtain  Testaments,  and 
having  no  money  to  offer  in  exchange,  brought  various, 
articles  to  our  habitation  as  equivalents ;  for  example, 
rabbits,  fruit,  and  barley  ;  and  I  made  a  point  never  to 
disappoint  them,  as  such  articles  were  of  utility  either  for 
our  own  consumption  or  that  of  the  horses." 

A  poor  old  schoolmaster  expended  all  the  money  he 
possessed  in  purchasing  a  dozen  testaments  for  his  scholars. 


262  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

*  An  old  :  ^risant  is  reading  in  the  portico.  Eigliiy  fuui 
years  have  passed  over  his  head,  and  he  is  ahnost  entirely 
(leaf;  nevertheless,  he  is  reading  aloud  the  second  of 
Matthew ;  three  days  since,  he  bespoke  a  Testament,  but 
not  being  able  to  raise  the  money,  he  has  not  redeemed  it 
till  the  present  moment.  He  has  just  brought  thirty 
farthings." 

Our  limited  space  prevents  us  from  entering  into  the 
enthusiastic  proceedings.  We  regret  to  say  that  sudden 
illness  compelled  Mr.  Borrow  to  return  to  Madrid,  and 
afterwards  to  visit  England  for  change  of  scene  and  air. 
On  the  last  day  of  the  year  1838,  Mr.  Borrow  again  visited 
Spain  for  the  third  time,  and  resumed  his  labors,  with  con- 
siderable success,  among  the  villages  to  the  east  of  Madrid  ; 
but  he  soon  found  that  his  proceedings  had  caused  so  much 
alarm  among  the  heads  of  the  clergy,  that  they  had  made 
a  formal  complaint  to  the  government,  who  immediately 
sent  orders  to  all  the  alcaids  of  the  villages  in  New  Castile 
to  seize  the  New  Testament  wherever  it  might  be  exposed 
for  sale.  TJndiscouraged  by  this  blow,  Mr.  Borrow  deter 
mined  to  change  the  scene  of  action,  and  abandoning  the 
rural  districts,  to  offer  the  sacred  volume  from  house  to 
house.  This  plan  he  forthwith  put  into  execution,  and 
with  such  success,  that,  in  less  than  fifteen  duys,  nearly 
six  hundred  copies  had  been  sold  in  the  streets  and  alleys 
of  the  capital ;  and  many  of  these  books  found  their  way 
into  the  best  houses  in  Madrid.  One  of  the  most  zealous 
agents  in  the  propagation  of  the  Bible  was  an  ecclesiastic. 
He  never  walked  out  without  carrying  me  beneath  his 
gown,  whi  )h  he  offei  ed  to  the  first  person  he  met  whom 


BORROW'B  adventures  in  SPAIN.  265 

le  thought  likely  to  purchase.  The  circulation  of  these 
volumes  has  produced  a  powerful  effect  on  the  minds  of  the 
Spanish  people ;  indeed,  their  influence  is  already  begin- 
ning to  be  felt  Mr .  Borrow  informs  us  that,  in  two  churches 
of  Madrid,  the  New  Testament  was  regularly  expounded 
every  Sunday  evening  by  the  respective  curates,  to  about 
twenty  children  who  attended,  and  who  were  all  provided 
with  copies  of  the  Scriptures.  By  the  middle  of  April, 
Mr.  Borrow  had  sold  as  many  Testaments  as  he  thought 
Madrid  would  bear.  Every  copy  of  the  Bible  was  by  this 
time  disposed  of;  and  with  the  remaining  copies  of  the 
Testament,  he  betook  himself  to  Seville,  where  he  succeeded 
in  circulating  about  two  hundred.  Finding,  however,  that 
the  authorities  still  continued  to  thwart  his  exertions,  he 
determined  to  repair  for  a  few  months  to  the  coast  of  Bar- 
bary,  for  the  purpose  of  distributing  copies  of  the  Scriptures 
amongst  the  Christians  whom  he  hoped  to  meet  with  there. 
He  accordingly  sailed  from  Cadiz  to  Gibraltar,  and  thence 
to  Tangier,  where  his  narrative  abruptly  terminates.  The 
extracts  we  have  given  will  enable  our  readers  to  form 
some  idea  of  the  nature  of  this  work,  which  has  been  pro- 
nounced on  high  authority  to  be  ''  about  the  most  extraor- 
dinary one  that  has  appeared  in  our  own,  or,  indeed,  in 
any  other  language  for  a  very  long  time  past."  We  have 
confined  our  notice  of  Mr.  Borrow's  book  almost  entirely 
to  the  events  connected  with  the  main  object  which  he  had 
in  view  in  visiting  Spain ;  but  some  of  his  episodical  nar- 
rations are  among  the  most  remarkable  and  interesting 
portions  of  the  work. 


A  VOLUME  of  "  Memorials  of  the  Sea,"  has  just  been 
made  public  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Scoresby,  who,  we  may  pre- 
sume, raises  this  little  monument  to  his  parent's  memory 
not  less  for  example's  sake,  than  out  of  filial  affection  and 
grateful  remembrance.  The  author's  aim  has  been  to 
present  a  faithful  portraiture  of  his  progenitor,  to  show 
us  what  manner  of  man  he  was  ;  and  we  shall  endeavor 
to  transfer  a  sketch  of  the  picture  to  our  columns,  for  the 
edification  of  such  readers  as  are  interested  in  the  study 
of  human  effort  and  perseverance.  There  ought  to  be 
something  worth  reading  in  the  history  of  a  man  whose 
memoir  comprises  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  pages. 
(264) 


SCORBSBY  THE  WH  ^LER.  26/^ 

The  name  of  Scoresby,  it  appears,  is  limited  to  one  or 
two  families  in  the  north  of  England,  most  of  whom  have 
been  of  the  yeoman  class,  with  the  reputation  of  good 
citizens  and  worthy  members  of  society.  There  are,  how- 
ever, two  or  there  exceptions  to  the  uniform  level :  a  Walter 
Scourby  was  ''  bayliife  of  York"  in  1312 ;  another,  Thomas, 
was  lord  mayor  of  the  same  city  in  1463 ;  and  a  second 
Thomas  represented  it  in  parliament  in  the  reign  of  Ed- 
ward III.  So  much  for  ancestral  honors  and  dignities ; 
and  we  pass  to  the  individual  who  more  immediately  claims 
our  attention.  He  was  born  in  May,  1760,  at  Nutholm, 
about  twenty  miles  from  Whitby ;  went  to  an  endowed 
school  in  the  adjoining  village  of  Cropton  during  the  fine 
season  only,  as  the  distance  was  considerable,  and  the  roads 
wei  J  uncomfortable  in  winter.  Even  these  scanty  ways 
and  means  of  knowledge  were  cut  off  when  William 
Scoresby  grew  to  his  ninth  year :  he  was  then  placed 
with  a  farmer,  and  underwent  the  "rudiments'*  of  cattle- 
feeding.  In  this  situation  he  plodded  on  for  more  than 
ten  years,  until  '^  unpleasant  treatment'*  caused  him  to 
resent  the  indignity  by  walking  to  Whitby,  and  binding 
himself  apprentice  to  a  Quaker  ship  owner  for  three  yeais. 
He  then  went  to  his  father's  house,  and  informed  his  pa- 
rents of  what  had  occurred,  and  returned  forthwith  to 
the  farm  to  fulfil  his  duties  until  a  successor  should  be 
appointed  to  his  plnxro  His  uext  care  was  to  set  to  work 
on  such. studies  as  '^\f& :  ut  ubeful  in  his  new  vocation, 
and  so  employ  the  iniervai  nrior  to  the  sailing  of  the  ship 
in  the  spring  of  ITWb. 

Mr.  Scoresby  heiw  ilraw?  r.aralled  between  his  father 
31 


266 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 


-^^;r--:;asj;ii^^v 


'^:^^WT' 


SCORBSBY  WANDERING  IN  THE  SNOW. 


an  1  Captain  Cook  :  natives  of  the  same  county,  both  began 
life  with  farming  work,  though  the  great  circumnavigator 
was  afterwards  apprenticed  to  a  general  shopkeeper ;  in 
which  service,  having  been  unjustly  suspected  of  stealing 
'•  a  new  and  fresh-looking  shilling"  from  his  master's  till, 
he  determined,  if  he  could  get  permission  to  do  so,  to  leave 
his  employment  as  a  shop-keeper,  and,  indulging  a  strongly- 
iyibibed  prepossession,  turn  to  the  sea.  The  result  is  weli 
known. 

According  to  agreement,  Scoresby  went  a  second  time  to 
VyHiitby  in  February  to  ratify  his  engagement ;  and  finding 
that  his  services  would  not  be  required  before  April,  he  set 
cut  to  return  home  on  foot  the  same  day,  being  desirous 
of  losing  no  time  from  his  studies.  More  than  half  the 
road  lay  across  a  wild  uninhabited  moorland  district.  Night 
had  set  in  when  a  furious  snow-storm  surprised  him  ;  all 


gCORESBY  THE  WHALER.  269 

traces  of  the  imperfect  track  were  speedily  obliterated^  and 
the  traveller  "  could  neither  see  his  way  to  advance  nor  to 
return."  In  this  uncertainty  his  geometrical  knowledge 
came  into  play.  "  He  had  observed  how  the  wind  first 
assailed  him,  with  reference  to  the  dirction  of  the  line  of 
road,  which,  fortunately  for  him,  like  the  roads  of  ancient 
construction  generally,  followed  a  steeple-chase  directness, 
regardless  of  hill  or  dale,  for  the  point  aimed  at ;  and,  by 
adjusting  his  progress  on  the  same  angle,  in  respect  to  the 
course  of  the  wind,  he  hoped  to  be  guided  in  his  now  peri- 
lous undertaking."  The  experiment  was  fully  successful, 
and  the  journey  finally  accomplished  in  safety. 

Scoresby's  sea-service  commenced  by  a  journey  to  Rus- 
sia ;  while  discharging  a  cargo  of  Memel  timber  at  Ports- 
mouth, a  professional  grievances  made  him  resolve  to  enter 
on  board  the  Royal  George.  Afterwards  when  that  vessel 
went  down,  with  all  her  crew,  he  regarded  his  having 
changed  his  intention  as  one  of  the  many  providences  of 
which  he  had  been  the  subject.  A  seamen's  duties  were 
not  permitted  to  divert  him  from  the  pursuit  of  knowledge ; 
what  he  learned  in  books  he  reduced  to  practice,  keeping 
the  ship's  reckoning  for  his  own  private  instruction.  He 
Bufiered  much  from  the  taunts  and  jeers  of  the  crew  for 
refusing  to  share  in  their  debasing  practices,  but  made  no 
attempt  to  retaliate  so  long  as  the  annoyance  was  confined 
to  words.  He  proved,  however,  on  fitting  occasion,  that 
he  could  defend  himself  from  personal  violence ;  and  bo 
great  was  his  strength,  that  his  two  aggressors  were  ef- 
fectually humbled.  He  was  fully  impressed  with  the  feel- 
ing "  that  under  the  blessing  of  Providence,  to  which  he 


270  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

distinctly  looked,  he  must  be  the  fabricator  of  his  own  for 
tune ;"  and  his  custom  was,  "  unless  he  could  find  a  some 
what  like-minded  aspirant  after  a  better  position,  to  walk 
alone  on  the  main-deck  or  forecastle,  holding  companion- 
fthip  only  with  his  own  thoughts." 

In  moral  and  physical  qualities  such  as  these,  we  see 
the  elements  of  success.  Scoresby's  habit  of  keeping  the 
reckoning,  and  the  greater  exactitude  which  he  brought 
into  the  method,  once  saved  the  ship  from  being  wrecked 
in  foggy  weather  between  the  Riga  and  Elsinore.  His 
assertion  that  the  vessel  was  off  the  island  of  Bornholm 
caused  a  sharper  look-out  to  be  kept.  Presently  breakers 
were  seen  ahead ;  the  anchor  was  dropped,  "just  in  time 
to  save  the  ship  from  destruction.  When  she  swung  to 
her  anchor,  it  was  in  four  and  a  half  fathoms  water.  The 
breakers  were  close  by  the  stern,  and  the  stern  not  above 
twenty  fathoms  from  the  shore."  This  manifestation  of 
ability  on  the  part  of  an  apprentice  excited  so  much  jea- 
lousy and  ill-feeling  towards  him  from  the  oflScers,  that  on 
the  arrival  of  the  vessel  in  the  Thames,  he  left  her,  and  en- 
gaged on  board  the  Speedwell  cutter,  bound  for  Gibralter 
with  stores. 

This  proceeding  led  to  a  new  course  of  adventure. 
While  on  the  voyage  in  October,  1781,  the  cutter  was 
captured  by  the  Spaniards,  and  the  whole  of  her  crew 
made  prisoners  of  war,  and  kept  in  durance  at  St.  Lucar, 
in  iVndalusia.  After  a  time,  the  rigor  of  imprisonment 
being  somewhat  relaxed,  and  the  captives  permitted  to 
feicli  water  without  a  guard,  Scoresby  and  one  of  his  com 
panions  contrived  to  escape  ;  and  concealed  themselves  aa 


•00KB8BT  IN  THE  RIGGING. 


SCORESBY  THE  WHALER.  273 

much  as  possible  during  the  day,  and  guiding  their  course 
by  the  stars  at  night,  they  made  their  way  direct  for  the 
coast,  where  they  eventually  arrived  in  safety,  after  en- 
countering much  risk  and  difficulty.  On  all  occasions 
when  they  had  to  ask  for  assistance,  they  found  the  wo- 
men ready  to  help  them  and  facilitate  their  escape,  some- 
times while  their  husbands  had  gone  to  denounce  the 
strangers.  By  a  fortunate  coincidence  the  fugitives  ar- 
rived on  the  coast  just  as  an  English  vessel  of  war  wai 
about  to  sail  with  an  exchange  of  prisoners.  By  the 
contrivance  of  the  crew,  they  concealed  themselves  on 
board  until  the  ship  was  fairly  at  sea,  when  they  made  their 
appearance  on  deck,  greatly  to  the  astonishment  and  vex- 
ation of  the  captain,  who  made  them  sign  a  promise  to  pay 
a  heavy  sum  for  their  passage,  as  a  punishment  for  their 
intrusion.  In  the  Bay  of  Biscay  a  formidable  gale  came 
on..  The  two  intruders  refused  to  work,  on  the  plea  of 
being  passengers,  unless  the  captain  destroyed  the  docu- 
ment exacted  from  them.  This  was  done ;  immediately 
the  two  sprang  up  the  rigging,  and  before  long,  Scoresby, 
by  his  superior  seamanship,  had  brought  the  reefing  of 
sails  and  striking  of  masts  to  a  successful  accomplishment, 
and  by  his  example  cheered  the  before  dispirited  crew,  who, 
during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage,  were  observed  to 
manifest  a  "  higher  character,  than  before." 

After  this,  Scoresby  married  the  daughter  of  a  small 
landed  proprietor  at  Crop  ton,  and  resided  with  his  father 
for  two  or  three  years,  assisting  in  the  management  of  the 
farm.  But  a  desire  for  more  stirring  employment  made 
him  again  turn  his  attention  to  the  sea.  In  1785  he  entered 

35 


274  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

as  seaman  on  board  the  Henrietta,  a  vessel  engaged  in  tlio 
whale-fishery,  at  the  time  an  important  branch  of  the  trade 
at  Whitby.  Here  the  general  good  conduct  and  ability 
for  which  he  was  remarkable  gained  him  the  post  of  second 
oflScer  and  specksioneer  of  the  ship  ;  a  technical  title  used 
to  distinguish  the  chief  harpooner  and  principal  of  the 
fishing  operations.  In  1790,  he  became  captain  of  the 
ressel,  greatly  to  the  mortification  of  his  brother  officers, 
who,  being  inconsiderately  engaged  by  the  owner  to  go 
out  on  the  first  voyage  under  their  new  commander,  con- 
ducted themselves  so  vexatiously  that  a  mutiny  broke  out. 
''  One  of  the  men,  excited  by  his  companions'  clamors  and 
his  own  dastardly  rage,  seized  a  handspike,  and  aimed  a 
desperate  blow,  which  might  have  been  fatal  on  the  head 
of  his  captain.  The  latter,  now  roused  to  the  exertion 
of  his  heretofore  unimagined  strength  and  tact,  while 
warding  the  blow  with  his  hand,  disarmed  the  assailant, 
and  seizing  him  in  his  athletic  arms,  actually  flung  him 
headlong  among  his  associates,  like  a  quoit  from  the  hand 
of  a  player,  filling  the  whole  party  with  amazement  at  his 
strength  and  power,  and  for  the  moment  arresting,  under 
the  influence  of  the  feeling,  the  unmanly  pursuance  of 
their  mutinous  purpose."  In  addition  to  these  adverse 
proceedings,  the  season  was  a  bad  one,  and  the  He  arietta 
returned  to  Whitby  without  having  captured  a  single 
whale. 

The  mortification  to  a  man  of  Scoresby's  ardent  cha- 
racter was  extreme ;  to  guard  against  an  occurrence  of  a 
similar  misadventure,  he  insisted  on  engaging  the  whole 
cf  the  next  crew  and  officers  himself,  and  carried  his  point, 


o 


SCORESBT  THIS  WHALER.  271 

n  it  withstanding  the  opposition  of  the  owner.  The  aivan- 
•jgeous  consequences  of  this  measure  appeared  in  the  re- 
suit  of  the  voyage ;  "  no  less  than  eighteen  whales  were 
captured,  yielding  one  hundred  and  twelve  tons  of  oil.*' 
The  unusual  importance  of  this  achievement  will  be  best 
understood  from  the  fact,  that  six  and  a  half  whales  per 
year  had  previously  been  regarded  as  a  satisfactory  ave- 
rage. Scoresby's  fifth  voyage  gave  a  "  catch"  of  twenty- 
five  whales,  the  proceeds  being  one  hundred  and  fifty-two 
tons  of  oil.  Such,  indeed,  were  his  ability  and  enterprise, 
that  his  average  success  was  ''  four  times  as  great  as  the 
usual  average  of  the  Whitby  whalers ;  in  like  proportion 
above  the  average  of  the  Hull  whalers  during  the  previous 
twenty  years ;  and  more  than  double  the  Hull  average 
for  the  same  actual  period !"  These  successes,  which 
excited  no  small  amount  of  envy  and  hatred  in  some 
quarters,  spread  Scoresby's  fame  abroad  in  other  ports, 
and  produced  many  tempting  offers  and  solicitations ;  but 
for  a  time,  chiefly  on  his  wife's  account,  he  preferred 
retaining  his  connection  with  Whitby. 

At  length,  in  1798,  he  accepted  an  engagement  as  cap- 
tain of  the  Dundee,  a  vessel  much  larger  and  finer  than 
the  Henrietta,  sailing  from  London.  With  this  ship  he 
brought  back  thirty-six  whales  from  his  first  voyage ;  a 
number  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  whale-fishery. 
This  and  subsequent  voyages  were  performed,  too,  mori 
rapidly  than  usual,  whereby  the  greater  freshness  of  the 
blubber,  when  brought  to  the  coppers,  produced  a  superior 
quality  of  oil.  On  one  of  the  voyages  in  the  Dundee  h* 
first  took  his  son,  then  a  lad  ten  years  old  (the  author  of 


278  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

the  work  before  us,)  to  sea  with  him.  At  that  period 
armed  vessels  of  the  enemies  of  Britain  cruised  in  the  North 
Sea.  A  few  days  after  leaving  England  a  ship  vras  sud- 
denly observed  bearing  down  so  as  to  intercept  the  track 
of  the  whaler.  Scoresby,  however,  had  anticipated  the 
possibility  of  such  an  occurrence ;  the  Dundee  carried 
twelve  eighteen-pounders,  besides  small  arms,  and  a  well- 
selected  crew  of  sixty  men.  Among  the  latter,  one  had 
been  chosen  for  his  expertness  in  beating  the  drum,  and 
another  for  his  proficiency  "  in  winding  a  boatswain's  call ;" 
and  with  all  these  means  and  appliances  a  surprise  was 
planned.  We  shall  leave  Mr.  Scoresby  to  tell  it  in  his 
own  words:  "The  men  on  deck,"  he  WTites,  'Svere  laid 
down  flat  on  their  faces.  My  father,  coolly  walking  tlie 
quarter-deck,  and  the  helmsman,  engaged  in  his  office  of 
steering,  were  the  only  living  beings  who  could  be  discerned 
from  the  deck  of  the  assailant. 

''  Without  showing  any  colors,  in  answer  to  our  English 
ensign  waving  at  the  mizen-peak,  the  stranger  came  down 
to  within  short  musket-shot  distance,  when  a  loud  unin- 
telligible roar  of  the  captain  through  his  speaking-trum- 
pet indicated  the  usual  demand  of  the  nation  *or  the  deno- 
mination of  our  ship.  A  significant  wave  of  my  father's 
hitnd  served  instead  of  a  reply.  The  drum  beat  to  quarters, 
and  while  the  roll  reverberates  around,  the  shrill  sound 
of  the  boatswain's  pipe  is  heard  above  all.  And  whilst 
the  hoarse  voice  of  this  officer  is  yet  giving  forth  the  con- 
sequent orders,  the  apparently  plain  sides  of  the  ship  be- 
comes suddenly  pierced ;  six  ports  on  a  side  are  simulta* 
neously  raised,  and  as  many  untompioned  cannon,  threat* 


SCORESBY  THE  WHALER.  281 

oning  a  more  serious  bellowing  than  that  of  the  now-asto- 
nisbed  captain's  trumpet-aided  voice,  are  run  out,  pointing 
ominously  toward  the  enemy's  broadside ! 

"  The  stratagem  was  complete ;  its  impression  quite 
perfect.  The  adversary  seemed  electrified.  Men  on  the 
enemy's  deck,  some  with  lighted  matches  in  hand,  and 
plainly  visible  to  us,  by  reason  of  her  heeling  position 
while  descending  obliquely  from  the  windward,  were  seen 
to  fall  flat,  as  if  prostrated  by  our  shot ;  the  guns  pointed 
threateningly  at  us,  remained  silent ;  the  helm  flew  to  port, 
and  the  yards  to  the  wind,  on  our  opposite  tack ;  and 
without  waiting  for  the  answer  to  his  summons,  or  ven- 
turing to  renew  his  attempt  on  such  a  formidable-looking 
opponent,  he  suddenly  hauled  off",  under  full  sail,  in  a  di- 
rection differing  by  some  six  points  from  that  in  which 
he  had  previously  intercepted  our  track." 

According  to  long-continued  custom,  the  flensing  or 
cutting-up  of  a  whale  could  only  be  performed  with  a  pro- 
scribed number  of  incisions  and  apparatus,  causing  much 
loss  of  time  when  the  fish  was  a  small  one.  Scoresby  had 
often  remonstrated  with  his  subordinates  on  this  hinder- 
ing process,  but  in  vain.  At  last,  to  convince  them,  he 
offered,  as  a  challenge,  "  that,  with  the  assistance  of  only 
one-third  part  of  the  available  crew,  he  would  go  on  a 
fish,  and  send  it  in  single-handed,  in  half  the  time  occu- 
pied by  the  four  or  six  harpooners,  with  the  help  of  all 
hands."  This  he  actually  performed.  The  work,  which 
had  occupied  the  harpooners  and  the  whole  of  the  crew 
for  two  hours,  was  successfully  accomplished  ''in  almost 
forty  minutes ;"  and  by  the  exercise  of  forethought  oo 

36 


282  THE  EOMANCE  01"  TRAVEL. 

the  part  of  the  chief  operator,  the  assistants  were  not 
kept  standing  a  single  instant. 

Here  we  see  a  man  prompt  in  emergencies,  and  ready 
with  new  inventions  when  the  old  failed  to  satisfy  him. 
No  one  was  more  active  than  Scoresby  in  pushing  his 
way  into  the  ice  when  on  the  whaling  fields.  If  a  full 
cargo  was  not  obtained,  it  was  that  certain  natural  obsta- 
cles were  insurmountable  by  ordinary  means,  not  that 
energy  or  perseverance  were  lacking  for  the  attempt. 
Scoresby's  spirit  of  enterprise  once  led  him  into  a  higher 
northern  latitude  than  any  other  on  record.  This  was  in 
the  year  of  1806,  he  being  then  in  command  of  the  Reso- 
lution. The  ship  had  been  worked  through  the  ice  on  the 
western  side  of  Spitzbergen  as  far  as  seventy-seven  de- 
grees north  latitude.  All  the  other  whaling  vessels  were 
left  behind  out  of  sight,  Avhen  the  adventurous  captain 
determined  to  push  for  an  open  sea  more  to  the  north- 
wards, the  existence  of  which  he  considered  certain,  from 
several  sagacious  observations.  In  this  task  he  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  to  introduce  the  operation  of  "  sallying 
the  ship;"  that  is,  swaying  her  from  side  to  side,  so  as 
to  facilitate  her  onward  motion  when  beset  by  ice.  At 
last,  after  extraordinary  labor,  the  open  sea  was  entered-  - 
an  ocean  lake,  as  it  were,  of  vast  extent,  sun  ounded  by 
ice.  Here,  in  thirty-two  days,  a  full  cargo  was  captured, 
and  the  sea  explored  for  a  distance,  in  a  direct  line,  of 
three  hundred  miles — the  highest  latitude  reached  being 
eighty-one  degrees  thirty  minutes  north",  not  more  than 
five  hundred  and  ten  miles  from  the  north  pole,  and  tha 
farthest  northerly  point  ever  attained  by  sailing.     Parrj 


w 
a 

O 

tad 
> 


SCORBSBY  THE  WHALER.  284 

went  beyond  it  in  1827,  but  in  boat8  drawn  over  the  ice ; 
and  subsequent  navigators  have  been  baffled  in  their 
endeavors  to  penetrate  so  far  in  the  same  directions. 

After  several  voyages  in  the  Resolution,  Scoresby  became 
a  member  of  the  Greenock  Whale-fishing  Company,  and 
made  four  voyages  in  the  John  without  any  diminution  of 
success — the  proceeds  of  only  one  out  of  the  four  having 
been  eleven  thousand  pounds  sterling.  He  then  went  out 
again  for  a  Whitby  firm ;  and  in  1817  bought  the  Fame 
on  his  own  account,  and  made  with  her  five  voyages  to  the 
north,  and  was  preparing  for  a  sixth,  when  the  vessel  was 
accidentally  burnt  while  lying  at  the  Orkneys.  This  event 
caused  him  to  retire,  though  with  an  ample  competence, 
from  active  life.  He  had  been  thirty-six  years  a  mariner, 
and  had  sailed  thirty  times  to  the  arctic  seas,  and  captured 
Sve  hundred  and  thirty-three  whales — "  a  greater  number 
than  has  fallen  to  the  share  of  any  other  individual  in 
Europe — with  many  thousands  of  seals,  some  hundreds  of 
walruses,  very  many  narwals,  and  probably  not  less  than 
sixty  bears.  The  quantity  of  oil  yielded  by  this  produce 
was  four  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-four  tons ;  of 
whalebone,  about  two  hundred  and  forty  tons'  weight ; 
besides  the  skins  of  the  seals,  bears,  and  walruses  taken  :" 
the  money  value  of  the  whole  being  estimated,  in  round 
numbers,  at  two  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling. 

Scoresby  lived  but  a  few  years  after  his  retirement.  Sub- 
sequently to  his  decease,  a  manuscript  was  found  among 
his  private  papers,  which  proves  him  to  have  been  possessed 
of  mechanical  genius  as  well  as  nautical  ability  and 
usefulness.      In  stature  he  was   tall  and  athletic;  and 


286 


THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 


in  the  power  of  his  eye  he  exercised  a  remarkable  control 
over  the  lower  animals,  and  individuals  on  whom  he  wished 
to  make  an  impression.  A  life  like  his  shows  that  there 
IS  no  path  in  existence  wherein  superior  intelligence,  energy^ 
and  moral  feeling  may  not  distinguish  themselves  through 
the  benefits  which  they  will  diffuse  around  them.  Our 
brief  sketch  of  him  may  be  considered  as  complete,  when 
we  add  that  beheld  "  Temperance  to  be  the  best  physician, 
Seriousness  the  greatest  wisdom,  and  a  Good  Consience  the 
best  estate. '* 


A   VviiALi^;  STRUCK. 


Ii|e5e3. 


Bancroft  Ubi^y 


Thi  name  of  Thebes  is  given  to  two  cities,  both  situated 
in  the  East,  and  both  the  ruined  memorials  of  ancient 
times.  One  is  found  in  Upper  Egypt,  the  other  in  time- 
honored  Greece.  The  latter  retains  few  traces  of  its 
former  magnificence ;  but  the  beauty  and  extent  of  the 
ruins  of  the  former,  render  it  an  object  of  great  interest 
to  the  inquiring  traveller,  to  the  architect,  and  the  lover 
of  antiquity.  To  an  account  of  the  Egyptian  city  we 
shall  here  confine  our  remarks.  It  is  situate  on  both  sidea 
of  the  Nile,  about  two  hundred  and  sixty  miles  south  of 
^(Jairo,  and  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important  cities  of 
1^^^^  37  (289) 


290  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

ancient  Egypt.  Thebes  is  celebrated  as  the  city  of  on^ 
hundred  gates,  and  is  said  to  have  been  about  twenty- 
seven  miles  in  ( ircumference  ;  but  amongst  its  relics  no- 
thing is  now  to  bo  found  of  these  hundred  gates  or  of  its 
famous  walls.  Luxor  and  Karnac  on  the  eastern,  and 
Gournou  and  Mendinet  Abou  on  the  western  bank  of  the 
river,  were  comprised  in  the  ancient  boundaries ;  but 
these  are  now  three  miserable  villages,  some  miles  apart, 
all  still  possessing  remains  of  the  grandeur  of  the  olden 
city.  The  origin  of  the  name  and  the  date  of  the  founda- 
tion of  this  earliest  capital  of  the  world  is  unknown. 

It  is  impossible  to  enter  here  into  a  detailed  description 
of  the  ruins  still  found  in  Thebes.  They  have  in  all 
ages  deservedly  excited  the  admiration  of  travellers,  and 
several  have  attempted  to  convey  by  language  some  idea 
of  them  with  more  or  less  success.  The  greatest  works  of 
the  greatest  Egyptian  princes  were  erected  here.  Most 
of  the  structures  are  of  a  sacred  character ;  and  columns, 
obelisks,  sphinxes,  colossal  statues,  mysterious  sculpture, 
and  subterranean  palaces,  all  fail  not  to  move  powerfully, 
and  fill  the  mind  with  images  of  gorgeous  magnificence 
and  costly  labor. 

On  the  western  bank  of  the  Nile  are  the  Tombs  of  the 
Kings,  the  spots  chosen  by  the  ancient  Egyptian  mo- 
narchs  for  their  eternal  abode.  In  entering  them  we  de- 
scend magnificent  flights  of  steps,  or  "vander  through  long 
corridors,  vast  galleries,  lofty  halls,  and  spacious  ban- 
queting-rooms,  hewn  in  the  solid  rock,  and  extending  five 
or  six  hundred  feet  into  the  bowels  of  the  mountain ;  the 
the  walls,  ceilings,  and  pillars,  covered  with  symbolical 


TBMPLB  OF  LUXOR. 


THBBES  298 

representations,  resembling  an  endless  picture-gallery. 
The  Palace  of  Rameses,  otherwise  called  the  Mem  no- 
niiim,  and  sometimes  the  Tomb  of  Osymandyas,  deserve?, 
perhaps,  the  first  rank  among  the  monuments  of  Thebes 
The  portals,  with  which  it  was  furnished,  and  on  which 
may  still  be  made  out  many  military  representations,  are 
nearly  destroyed,  and  the  waters  of  the  river,  which  year 
by  year  undermine  their  bases  at  the  time  of  the  inunda- 
tion, must  succeed  at  length  in  utterly  destroying  them. 
Among  its  ruins  are  to  be  seen  the  fragment  of  the  co- 
lossal etatue  of  Rameses,  the  most  prodigious  production 
of  the  Btatuary  art.  The  monarch,  in  a  sitting  posture, 
was  chiseled,  as  well  as  his  seat,  out  of  a  single  block 
of  rose  granite  of  extraordinary  beauty,  and  it  is  said  that 
at  this  day  the  Arabs  take  fragments  of  it  to  Cairo,  where 
they  are  used  to  supply  the  place  of  diamonds  in  glass- 
cutting.  A  vast  hall,  adorned  with  columns,  affords  one 
of  the  most  perfect  models  remaining  of  Egyptian  archi- 
tecture. The  roof  is  supported  by  two  rows  of  pillars, 
whose  capitals,  fashioned  to  represent  the  lotus  flower, 
are  executed  in  a  style  of  great  purity.  A  doorway,  once 
gilded,  leads  from  this  to  another  chamber  now  completely 
ruined. 

On  the  adjoining  plain  are  the  colossal  statues,  one  of 
which,  supposed  to  be  that  of  Memnon,  is  reported  to  have 
emitted  vocal  sounds  when  touched  by  the  first  rays  of  the 
Bun.  Elevated  on  bases  or  low  pedestals,  those  statuea 
rise  about  fifty-two  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
and  when  seen  from  the  western  hills  at  sunset,  their  effect 
is  very  remarkable.     The  eye  can  scarcely  deSne  their 


294  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

forms  as  sitting  figures,  and  they  rise  isolate  in  the  midst 
of  the  plain  like  rocks  in  the  expanse  of  ocean.  Each  waa 
originally  a  single  block  of  sand-stone.  The  features  are 
scarred  and  half  obliterated ;  the  massive  head-dress  de- 
scends over  the  breast ;  the  hands  lie  stretched  upon  the 
thighs  ;  a  line  of  hieroglyphics  descends  the  back. 

The  upper  part  of  the  musical  statue  has  been  broken 
>if  at  the  waist,  but  has  been  subsequently  built  up  with 
masonry,  and  thus  remains.  The  legs  are  covered  with 
Inscriptions  in  prose  and  verse,  ancient  and  modern. 

The  tradition  of  the  morning  sound  is  still  retained  among 
the  peasantry  in  the  vulgar  name  of  the  statue,  Salamat, 
the  common  Arabic  salutation.  Numerous  theories  have 
been  started  to  explain  the  miraculous  sounds  uttered  by 
this  statue  of  Memnon.  One  writer  supposes  a  man  to 
have  been  concealed  high  up  in  the  interior,  but  without 
evidence  or  probability.  Another  suggests  that  some  kind 
of  pipe  may  have  been  employed ;  while  others  have 
imagined  various  other  means  of  accounting  for  the  phe- 
nomenon. Tradition  says,  that  as  the  first  beams  oT  the 
sun  breaking  over  the  Arabian  mountains,  and  shooting 
athwart  the  plain  of  Thebes,  smote  upon  the  swarthy  coun- 
tenance of  Memnon,  a  noise  issued  from  the  statue,  which 
was  interpreted  into  a  salutation. 

A  modern  traveller  determined  to  ascertain  the  truth 
of  this  assertion,  set  out  one  morning  at  peep  of  dawn, 
and  arrived  at  the  spot  about  half  an  hour  before  sunrise. 
He  remained  till  the  sun  was  an  hour  above  the  horizon, 
fcnd,  ''though  the  god  of  day  shone  out  as  bright  as  erei 


THEBES.  2d7 

he  did,  no  graceful  salutation  of  welcome  wis  echoed  in 
return — all  was  silent  and  still  as  the  grave." 

At  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  river,  on  its  eastern 
bank,  is  the  Temple  of  Luxor,  the  first  object  that  strikes 
the  eye  on  approaching  Thebes.  It  stands  on  an  artificial 
foundation,  sufficiently  elevated  to  place  it  above  the  inun- 
dation. A  stupendous  portal,  more  than  two  hundred 
feet  broad,  and  eighty  feet  high,  gives  entrance  to  the 
temple.  Two  colossal  statues,  half-buried  in  the  sand, 
are  placed  against  the  entrance  ;  and  immediately  in  front 
of  them  were  two  beautiful  obelisks,  eighty  feet  in  height, 
and  covered  with  hieroglyphics,  cut  in  granite,  near  two 
inches  deep,  with  a  finish  and  niceness  of  touch  that  is  as 
fresh  now  as  when  first  sculptured.  One  of  these  obe- 
lisks is  now  removed  to  Paris :  the  other  still  maintains 
its  original  position.  The  whole  surface  of  the  portal  is 
covered  with  representations  of  battle  scenes,  comprising 
a  prodigious  number  of  human  figures,  horses  and  chariots. 

Behind  the  central  portral  is  a  court,  which  is  much 
obstructed  by  an  Arab  village  built  within  it,  the  huts  of 
which,  erected  against  the  columns,  impair  the  effect  of 
the  whole.  Beyojad  this  court  are  other  portals,  behind 
which  is  a  double  row  of  seven  columns,  each  twenty-two 
feet  in  circumference.  This  row  of  columns  conducts  into 
a  court  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long,  and  one  hundred 
and  forty  wide,  terminated  at  each  side  by  a  row  of  pillars. 
Beyond  this  is  another  portico,  of  two  columns,  and  then 
follows  the  sanctuary,  or  innermost  part  of  the  temple. 
In  the  grand  hall  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  columns, 
covered  with  painted  sculptuie  ar  i  hieroglyphics,  support 

38 


298  THE  ROMANCE  OF  TRAVEL. 

the  roof,  and,  disposed  in  numerous  ranges,  prodace  a 
series  of  long  vistas,  resembling  the  opening  ia  a  forest. 
It  is  impossible.  l>j  description,  to  give  an  adequate  idea 
of  these  extensive  ruins.  The  Temple  of  Luxor  is  sup- 
posed to  be  of  great  antiquity.  Vast  cost  and  labor  were 
expended  in  its  construction  ;  and  though  it  does  not  equal 
the  grandeur  of  Karnac,  it  exhibits  much  of  that  gigantic 
architecture  which  characterises  all  the  works  of  the 
Egyptians.  The  interior  of  the  temple  is,  however,  so 
much  filled  up  with  sand-heaps  and  Arab  huts,  that  it  is 
impossible  to  get  an  idea  of  it  in  its  original  state.  The 
exterior  colonnades  remain  in  almost  unbroken  lines, 
while  the  interior  is  completely  unroofed  and  ruined.  It 
is  still  the  skeleton  of  a  magnificent  temple. 

The  imposing  front  of  the  Temple  of  Luxor  faces  that 
of  Karnac,  which  is  distant  from  it  nearly  two  miles,  in 
a  direction  a  little  east  of  north.  These  sacred  edifices 
were  formerly  connected  by  an  avenue  of  sphinxes,  fifty 
feet  wide,  extending  from  one  to  the  other,  and  which  for 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  more,  next  to  Karnac,  still  remain, 
though  in  a  very  mutilated  condition. 

The  sphinxes,  which  face  each  other,  look  directly  across 
the  avenue,  and  each  holds  between  his  paws  a  small  hu* 
man  figure,  the  hands  crossed  over  the  breast,  and  grasping 
a  sort  of  mace,  in  form  like  a  cross.  They  are  sacred  with 
the  Egyptians,  and  the  whole  number  upon  this  avenue 
when  entire  was  about  sixteen  hundred.  Another  avenue 
of  sphinxes,  of  which  a  large  number  are  still  to  be  seer 
next  the  temple,  extended  from  its  eastern  point  to  tht? 
Nile,  about  the  same  distance  from  Karnac  as  Imxor.      A 


299 

third  connected  its  north  front  with  some  unknown  point 
in  that  direction.  Of  these  two,  a  considerable  number 
of  sphinxes  still  remain  in  their  original  position.  Not 
less  than  four  thousand  of  these  massive  statues  adorned 
the  different  approaches  to  this  magnificent  edifice .  They 
formed  the  avenues  through  which  individual  worshippers 
and  religious  processions  arrived. 

The  avenues  that  led  from  Luxor  terminates  in  front  of 
a  temple  of  Isis,  which  is  connected  with  the  grand  temple. 
There  are  ten  or  more  smaller  temples  embraced  within  a 
circumference  of  less  than  two  miles,  all  of  which  were 
united  with  the  main  structure  by  colonnades  and  other 
splendid  architecture,  and  formed  with  it  a  system  of  sa- 
cred edifices  which  might,  without  exaggeration  or  impro- 
priety, be  regarded  as  one  immense  temple. 


.%5t*^oi>*.- 


